Wherever You Go 2
by Draven Star
Summary: Sequel to Wherever You Go, where Amidala is a Sith, Vader's apprentice. DO NOT read if you haven't read the first one.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any original characters and dialogue from the movies and books. 

Author's note: Again, I use o'clock times, because it's easier for me. Do not read this if you haven't read Wherever You Go. I get annoyed when people ask questions about obvious things that they should know if they read the first story. Sorry to be mean.

**Chapter One**

After just a few days, they moved into their new house, on Yavin Eight. Darth Amidala had been surprised that they were just moving to another planet in the system, especially with her parents now living on Yavin Five. Perhaps her master had just felt like moving. She was not really bothered. It would be easier for her to ignore her parents, and then her master would not want to hurt them.

During the first week in the new house, Darth Vader had gone to Imperial City twice - staying away overnight both times - and let Amidala stay home.

She felt lonely, but kept herself busy by arranging and putting away what they had brought with them in the ship - mostly their clothes and Sith material. She thought about her parents. Of course, she cared about them, and her master probably knew she did. But he also knew that she wanted to be with him, and had no interest in trying to go back to Ruwee and Jobal.

That got her hopes up - maybe Vader trusted her enough that he did not think it was necessary to move farther away. She admitted that she wanted to tell them and Sola who she was now, and that she was pregnant. But if she was going to try mentioning that to Vader, she would wait, maybe until after the twins were born.

She had gotten a few interior designers to decorate the new house ahead of time, so there was no need to bring any furniture when they left Yavin Five. The designers had been a little fussy when she told them that she wanted everything finished in five days. They didn't know she was Darth Amidala, of course, so she couldn't try scaring them, but they were nicer when she offered to give them each an extra five thousand credits.

Right now, she was laying in bed, barely watching a documentary about banthas. It was almost midnight. Tomorrow, she would be exactly two weeks along in her pregnancy.

She did not have her own room at this house; Vader did not let her. That had also made her a little hopeful. Maybe he wanted her to sleep beside him every single night.

She smiled when she thought about that, but it faded quickly. Her master had left again, to go to Imperial City, that morning. She had not sensed that he was lying, but perhaps he was also going somewhere else and had just not mentioned it.

The thought of him being adulterous had come to her once, but by now, she had completely dismissed that possibility. At first, she had thought that he just wouldn't care about their marriage or being loyal to her, and would probably tell her that himself. But now there was another reason - she had noticed how strangely he looked at her when she came home one night, after being out with former-Captain Ryck. She was sure that her master had been angry about it, even though he had never cared before when she flirted with males she was spying on.

The show about banthas was over now. Amidala flipped through a few channels, then finally turned the screen off.

She looked at the remote in her hand for a second, then threw it across the room. It hit the dark green wall and fell to the beige carpet. Amidala felt tears form in her eyes. She was doing everything she could to impress her master, and absolutely nothing was working.

Just one second later, the door to the room slid open. The door to this bedroom had its own security code, and since it slid and closed tightly, Amidala hadn't heard her master coming in downstairs.

She easily pushed her tears back, suddenly feeling joyous.

"Hello, Master," she said quietly as he came in.

"You must have been waiting for me," he said, sounding as if he thought that was silly. He punched in the code on the panel beside the door, and it closed.

"I always do," Amidala replied, snuggling under the blankets again.

She watched him go inside the large walk-in closet, then closed her eyes. She fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

The next morning, she cleaned both of her lightsabers. She had finished her extra one. Now that she was pregnant, though, Vader did not want her to practice-fight. She couldn't do any of her physical exercises, either, but she still followed her master down to the gym in the basement, if he was in a good mood and didn't seem to mind. 

He spent most of the morning alone in one of the spare bedrooms, one that was sort of like a small study. It had a wall of shelves, but only one of them were completely filled with Sith-related books - which Amidala hadn't put up until after the designers and painters were done with the house, of course. On the rest of the shelves were a few dead, stuffed animals and some decorations Amidala had bought.

She probably knew that her master did not want to be bothered right now, so she had left him alone. He was mostly thinking about his plan for Shmi. To start with, he was not looking foward to telling Amidala about it. She would definately be eager to help, but he did not want her to think that he was sweet and wanted his mommy. He would explain how Shmi had been killed by the Sand People, and how it had been the Jedi's fault that Anakin had not arrived in time. That would be enough to makehis apprenticeget serious.

He was about to get up from the tan armchair he had been sitting in, but then Vader noticed something. On the small table beside the chair was a black vase and a pair of small, dark wood bantha statues. Shmi had had a pair exactly like them, except hers had been painted.

_Amidala_, Vader said mentally.

_Yes, Master?_

_Come here_.

* * *

Amidala washed her hands and went to the study, carrying both of her lightsabers with her, so that her master could see that she had cleaned them. 

"Master?" She set her lightsabers down on the small table.

"Sit," he said, reaching up and touching her arm.

She hesitated for a long moment, then slowly sat down in his lap. He slid his arm around her waist. She looked at him, most likely wondering if this was a trick.

"Calm down. I am not angry with you," he said, touching her arm with his other hand. He lightly ran one of his fingers over hers.

"Yes, Master," she replied quietly, still looking a little suspicious.

"I want your help with something very important - if you are capable of helping me."

"I will try to - I mean, I will be, Master," Amidala told him. "Can I ask what it is?"

He started by telling her about the time Anakin had snuck away to go see his mother - after asking Obi-Wan and Mace Windu about it more than once - and explained that he could have gotten there sooner and saved Shmi if the Jedi Masters had not held him back.

Amidala knew about her master being conceived by midi-chlorians, but she had never heard about what happened to his mother. She did not react in the mushy, sweet way he had expected.

"That's horrible," she said softly, and guessed what he was getting at. "Master, do you want to try to revive her?"

"Yes," answered Vader.

"How do we do it?"

"Lord Plageous's diary explains most of it."

Amidala nodded, suddenly feeling excited. She would be able to meet Shmi - her mother-in-law, who was going to be a grandmother. And, once Amidala successfully helped her master with this, he might come slightly closer to loving her.

"May I go downstairs, Master?" she asked, feeling hungry now.

"Yes," he said.

She leaned closer and hugged him for a moment, then got up and went downstairs to the kitchen.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Darth Amidala tried not to get excited about her mother-in-law, but it was hard to control it. That afternoon, she read almost all of Darth Plageous's diary. Briefly, she wondered why the Emperor had ever allowed Darth Vader to have it, but then guessed that Palpatine hadn't known - or maybe he had wanted to revive someone, and had needed Vader's help. Vader had not _said_ that he had never done this, but Amidala decided not to ask him about it.

Later, as she was getting into bed, she asked, "Do you have a stepfather, Master?"

"Why?" he replied, allowing her to snuggle next to him. He even slid his arm around her and pulled her closer. He had been in a mostly good mood all day, until right now. Amidala suddenly got the impression that this was not a good subject.

"I was just wondering, Master," she said.

"Yes," he answered. "She married soon after...I left."

Amidala just made a small nod, knowing that she needed to shut up right now. She glanced at the lamp on the bedside table and mentally turned it off.

* * *

They had to go to Tattooine two days later, since Vader had learned that Beru and Owen were on vacation, and were only going to be away for a week. 

Amidala was worried about failing her master with this task. He had to sense it, but would probably wait until later to punish her. He told her that he had revived a dead taun-taun before. She was impressed, but guessed that reviving his own mother would be more difficult.

He made her do all of the flying, which gave her something to focus on. Once Tattooine was in view, he took over. Amidala remained quiet and just watched him. He was in a calm mood, not angry about being here, or even annoyed. She did not want to ruin it.

He landed the ship close to the house, since Beru and Owen were not here, and waited a few moments, but no one came outside. They must have taken C-3PO with them.

Amidala could see a grave in the distance, behind the house, and realized that she had not asked Vader if they would have to disturb Shmi's. Lord Plageous had had his wife's body in front of him when he revived her, but she had only been dead for a couple of hours. He had never buried her.

"Master?" Amidala asked, almost too softly to hear. "Her grave...will we have to...?"

"I will take care of it," he interrupted. "Stay here. Rest."

She nodded. She was a little tired.

As soon as he left the ship, she went back to the bedroom. Of course, as soon as she lay down, she wastoo nervous and excited to take a nap. But she knew that her master had really been telling her that he wanted to get Shmi himself, so she closed her eyes. A few minutes later, she was asleep.

* * *

She woke up when Vader kissed her neck, then her mouth. She sighed and looked at her chronowatch, seeing that she had been asleep for almost three hours. 

Remembering Shmi now, she asked, "Is she alright, Master?"

"Yes," he answered. "I have done the first part."

Amidala nodded, knowing what that meant. When they left the ship and went inside the house, to the living room, she saw her mother-in-law's body. Instead of being a skeleton, she looked normal, probably the way she had when she died. She was beautiful.

Briefly, Amidala thought that if her master had accomplished this by himself, he most likely did not need her help at all. But perhaps concentrating on the midi-chlorians was going to be much harder.

She noticed Vader watching her intently, as if his Shmi's body was not even here. She sat down on the floor, beside her mother-in-law, and hoped she could do this.

* * *

At first, Shmi seemed to be asleep. Vader had expected that; it had happened with the taun-taun he'd experimented with. She did not even stir when he picked her up. He set her on the couch while Amidala went to the center area of the house, looking at the stairs that went up and outside. She was worried that Owen and Beru might come back early and be here at any second. 

She went to the kitchen area and poured herself a glass of milk, and drank almost half of it at once. For a moment, she concentrated on the babies. They were both fine. She drank the rest of the milk and left the glass on the counter, not caring if Beru or Owen wondered how it got there.

After waiting a few minutes, she returned to the living room. Shmi was completely awake, and talking normally.

"I know who you are. I've watched you a few times," she was saying to Vader as she stood up. She looked at his apprentice. "Darth Amidala."

Amidala politely said, "You are coming with us."

Shmi was quiet at first, then asked, "Where is Cliegg?"

Amidala hesistated, glancing at her master, then said, "At one of the Imperial bases."

"Why? What did he do?"

"Nothing. We had him captured yesterday, just to keep him there until we had you with us."

"Did you hurt him?" Shmi demanded, mostly looking at Vader.

"No," he answered calmly.

Even though his mother was unaware that she was Force-strong, she could almost feel his anger, which she understood.

"Son, I am very happy to see you," she said, coming closer to him. "I just have to see my husband. I have been dead for ten years."

"Can we go, Master?" Amidala asked, touching his arm.

"Yes," he answered.

Shmi hesitated for a second, now having a strong sense that her daughter-in-law was not very happy. She did not know why - she had not watched Vader since his and Amidala's small, quick wedding - but she decided to try to find out later.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

They were already inside the ship when Shmi realized that Beru and Owen were going to be angry and confused when they came home, from wherever they went, and saw her disturbed grave. Maybe Vader and Amidala, whoever dug it up, had tried to make it look neat again, or maybe they had not needed to touch her grave at all. She did not think of looking at it until after the ship was off the ground.

Sadly, she wished that she had left Beru and Owen a note or something, but there was no way they would actually believe it was from her. Hopefully, Vader and Amidala would let her and Cliegg see them.

She sat in the single pilot seat behind Vader's and Amidala's, feeling uneasy. She did not think that her son had lied about not harming Cliegg, but she couldn't relax until she saw her husband.

"Vader?" she asked, even though she still called him Anakin inside her mind. "Do you know anything about Cliegg?"

"What do you mean?" Amidala asked.

"Is he healthy? Did he get married again?"

"He is fine. He hasn't re-married."

Shmi felt relieved. "What about Beru and Owen? Can we see them?"

"Maybe," said Amidala, sounding the way parents did whenever they really meant "no". Her friendly mood seemed to fade. She leaned foward a little to look at a group of buttons on the dashboard.

Next, when she looked at Vader for a long moment, her mother-in-law once again had the feeling that she was sad about something.

* * *

Shmi was quiet until they entered the Yavin system, and Yavin Eight came into view. That was when Darth Amidala stood up.

"I have something for you," she said. "Come here."

Shmi hesitated, then stood and followed her to the room at the back of the ship.

She watched as Amidala looked inside the small closet for a moment, then took out a long-sleeved dress. It was black, with dark red roses embroidered around the sleeves and shoulders.

"You seem to be the same height as me. You are probably my size," Amidala said, handing the dress to her. "I thought you would want to change before we went to the base."

Shmi nodded quietly. After Amidala left, she looked in the mirror that was in the back of the closet. There were still a couple of cuts on her face, from when the Tusken Raiders had hurt her, and she needed to wash her hair. Cliegg would not care, though.

The dress fit her almost perfectly. Amidala came back to the room to see if she was alright, and even offered to brush her hair. She felt slightly better, and thought of trying to have a talk with her daughter-in-law now, but decided to wait.

* * *

Vader did not go with them to the base. Amidala held onto Shmi's arm and concealed their presence as they entered the gates. They went inside the single building - this was one of the smaller bases - and headed toward the prison cell area. If everything had gone well, Cliegg should be thinking that some Imperial officers had mistaken him for a smuggler. Everybody at the base had strict orders to treat him well.

"Are you hiding us?" Shmi asked.

Her daughter-in-law looked at her. "How did you know?"

"From watching Vader a few times," she answered. "But I haven't done that since your wedding."

Amidala nodded, realizing that Shmi did not know she was pregnant. "I just want to get in and out of here quickly without, any of the officers wondering who you and Cliegg are, or making you feel uncomfortable."

"You're a very sweet girl," Shmi commented. "I heard somewhere that Jedi are not allowed to marry, so I didn't expect my son to find someone."

Amidala nodded again, distantly, as if she had no interest in hearing about Anakin. Shmi decided not to try mentioning him again.

* * *

She felt completely happy when she saw Cliegg. He was unharmed, as Vader had said, and he also had a new, expensive prosthetic leg. He held her tightly for a long moment, as if he had forgotten that she was dead. She told him that she would explain later. Amidala watched them, feeling almost depressed. If _she_ were dead for ten years and came back, Vader would probably not care.

That thought made tears come to her eyes. She pushed them back and said, "If you don't mind me interrupting, we should get going."

"Alright," Cliegg replied, too joyous to be bothered by her cold tone.

Shmi looked at her for a second, but did not say anything.

* * *

They took a speeder and rode to the Cliegg and Shmi's new house. Amidala told them about it on the way there. It was beside her and Vader's. A thin band of trees separated their yards.

"What about our house on Tattooine?" Cliegg asked. "And Beru and Owen?"

"I will deal with them," Amidala said.

"What do you mean?"

"For now, you cannot contact them."

"Why not?" Shmi asked.

Amidala ignored her and added, "For now, I will do your shopping for you, so you have no need to go into the city."

"We understand," Cliegg said calmly, glancing at Shmi. He rested his hand on her arm.

"Good," Amidala replied in a softer, more tired tone. "Come over tomorrow, around noon."

"Alright," her mother-in-law said, noticing her sad mood.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Darth Amidala left the speeder beside her mother-in-law and Cliegg's house - it was kind of a dumb present, since they could not go anywhere alone until Darth Vader and Amidala trusted them. Amidala hoped that would not be too long. She thought that Shmi and Cliegg would cooperate.

She went through the gate in the fence, which went around the front and back yards, and pressed in the security code on the pad of keys to lock it. She had already told Cliegg and Shmi what the code was, feeling sure that they would not try to leave.

As she walked over to her house, Ruwee and Jobal came to her mind. She wondered if they had seen her somewhere, before they came to the old house on Yavin Five. Maybe that was why they had decided to move there, and Vader probably knew more than he had told his apprentice. But Amidala decided it didn't really matter, since she was not going to go to her parents.

_"Why would they want anything to do with someone associated with me - especially my wife and apprentice?"_

She smiled to herself as she went inside the house.

* * *

Vader came home almost two hours later. Amidala was almost asleep. She opened her eyes as he entered their bedroom.

"Hello, Master," she said. "Shmi and Cliegg are well. I told them to come over tomorrow, in case you want to talk to them."

"Tell them not to," he replied, mentally pressing a button on the panel beside the door. It slid closed.

Amidala nodded. Her master looked at her for a moment, then sat down on the edge of the bed, beside her.

"Did you tell my mother that you are pregnant?" he asked.

"No, Master. Should I?" She tried to rest her hand on his arm, but he grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"Not until I tell you," he answered. "She is more concerned with Cliegg."

"She hasn't seen him in ten years."

"I am not having a discussion with you."

"When I am away from you for ten hours..." Amidala started, then realized it would be best not to bother him.

He ignored her and let go of her wrist, then stood and went into the walk-in closet.

She closed her eyes, feeling stupid, and snuggled underneath the blankets. For some reason, she suddenly thought of one night, just days before Vader found her, when she and Sabé were spending the night at Ollana's house. While they were eating dinner, both of her friends talked about their new boyfriends for what seemed like an hour. She felt left out, since she was the only one who had never had a boyfriend.

She didn't look up as Vader approached the bed. He sat beside her again, gently resting his hand on her shoulder. She said nothing, thinking that this was a trick. He sensed how depressed she was.

Amidala finally opened her eyes. "Master?"

"Yes?" He moved his hand from her shoulder.

"If I fought Yoda, do you think I could win?"

"Perhaps. Do you want to?"

"I thought it would be something that would impress you," Amidala said. "Do you think he has moved since we went to Dagobah?"

"Most likely. He will want to look for someone to train," Vader answered.

His apprentice nodded. "He did not try to persuade me to join him. He said it was hopeless, and that I am like you."

"You are. Trying to take you from me would be pointless."

"Yes, it would. Is there any chance that you will ever love me?"

"I already do," her master said.

"What?" Amidala sat up. "I would have sensed it, wouldn't I, Master?"

"You are much more attuned to my feelings," Vader told her, "and our mental connections are always stronger. That should have told you something."

"I am sorry. I did not think..." Amidala paused, realizing that this might be a test she had failed. She wondered if he was going to punish her.

"Understand that hiding your feelings from another Sith is almost impossible," he explained. "Do not try it with me. If I did not tell you this now, you would have become aware of it soon."

Amidala nodded again. "I understand, Master."

* * *

Cliegg and Shmi were eating dinner, taun-taun meat strips that Cliegg made, when they heard a speeder leave from next door. Neither of them thought of trying to leave while Amidala and Vader were not home, though. They would most likely end up being lost in the woods all night.

"Do you think they will let us see Owen and Beru?" Shmi asked. She had taken a shower earlier and tried on some of the new clothes that were in their bedroom closet.

"Not anytime soon," Cliegg answered. "Maybe if we cooperate for a few weeks."

His wife sighed. "I think you should try to talk to Vader."

"Why? He'll probably kill me."

"No, he won't."

"He's not Anakin," Cliegg replied. "You know it. I can't just try to befriend him. Even if he was Anakin, he'd still be mad at me for telling him to accept that you're dead and give up hope."

"I understand," Shmi said, "but he is your stepson, and Amidala is our daughter-in-law. I think she's a nice girl."

"I don't think she's any sweeter than Vader is."

Shmi shrugged and changed the subject. "How is your brother's junk shop?"

"He has two stores now," answered Cliegg.

"Wonderful." Shmi smiled. "When Amidala and Vader trust us more, maybe they will let us have a romantic vacation."

"_You_ can ask them."


	5. Chapter Five

Madame Nabberrie: Yes, the two girls in the first Wherever You Go were just part of the story. At first, the summary said it was about two best friends being pursued by Sith, but then I changed it, since it's not mainly about them. 

Author's note: No one has mentioned this, but I know that I still haven't done a chapter that tells how Vader found Amidala. Just letting you know that I will.

**Chapter Five**

Darth Vader and Darth Amidala came home early the next morning, just as the sun was beginning to rise. Their speeder woke up Cliegg and Shmi, who had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room while watching holomovies. Shmi guessed that the two Sith did not care very much about being respectful neighbors.

Amidala was tired from being out all night, as well as excited from her master telling her that he loved her. She had completely forgotten to call her mother-in-law and tell her to not come over today.

Shmi slowly walked over to the house next door, a few minutes before noon. She wanted Cliegg to come with her, but knew that was not a good idea.

She paused for a moment before going onto the porch, looking up at the large, beautiful two-story house. She remembered when she and Anakin would have been greatful for a nice apartment of their own, not the tiny slave housing one they'd had.

She went up to the door and waited. She wouldn't be surprised if Vader or Amidala somehow knew that she was waiting out here. After a few minutes, she finally buzzed it. Briefly, she thought of turning around and trying to go back home before someone opened it, but that was ridiculous. She was not going to be nervous around her son and her daughter-in-law. She needed to thank them for bringing her back to Cliegg, anyway. For now, it would be best not to ask about talking to Owen and Beru.

Vader answered the door, realizing that Amidala must have forgotten to call Shmi and tell her not to come. He was not angry, though. He looked at the white pants and long-sleeved white shirt his mother was wearing. Amidala owned a pair of the same pants. They had cost seventy-eight credits. Shmi had probably never imagined owning expensive clothes.

Vader let her inside, glad to see that Cliegg had not joined her.

"Hello, son," she said as the door slid closed behind her. "Amidala told me to come over."

"She is upstairs," he replied.

"Are you happy to see me?" Shmi touched his arm.

"Yes," he said, taking her into his arms. "I have wanted to you see everything I have done."

"I know," she said quietly, as if she were not thrilled about any of it.

Vader had expected her to act this way at first, before he and Amidala talked with her, so he was not annoyed. He let go of her.

"Is Amidala alright?" she asked. "She seems... upset."

"She is pregnant," he said. That would definately help get her away from the my-son-is-evil thoughts right now.

A big smile came across her face. "I'm going to be a grandmother?"

"Yes."

"That's wonderful! Where is she?"

"Upstairs," Vader told her again. He let her give him another hug, then returned to the garage.

* * *

Amidala was in the study, sitting on one end of the tan couch with her laptop computer. When her mother-in-law looked inside the open doorway, she glanced up from whatever she was reading.

"Hello," she said, now remembering that she was supposed to call Shmi yesterday. Hopefully, her master was not very annoyed. She knew that he was _not_ going to be easy or soft on her just because he had admitted that he loved her, and she was glad that he wouldn't.

"An-- Vader told me about the baby," Shmi said. "May I come in?"

"Of course," Amidala answered. "And it's twins. A boy and a girl."

"How do you know already?"

"I sense it."

"Oh," Shmi said, sitting down. She glanced at the laptop screen, seeing a document with a paragraph about lightsabers.

"Some notes that Lord Plageous wrote," Amidala explained. She closed the document and turned the laptop off, then set it on the table beside the couch.

"He's the man who trained Emperor Palpatine?"

"Yes."

Shmi was quiet for a second. "You must have been terrified when Vader captured you. What do your parents think about you being the Empress?"

"They don't know who I am. They probably think I ran away or disappeared," Amidala replied, sounding as if she did not think that was a big deal at all. Shmi was almost disgusted. How could she not care if the Naberries were heartbroken over losing her?

"You haven't talked to them at all?"

"No. Perhaps my master has," Amidala answered, standing up. "Would you like anything to drink?"

Her mother-in-law nodded, and was silent as they went downstairs to the kitchen.


	6. Chapter Six

Madame Nabberrie: No, I didn't take your suggestion, I was already planning to write that. And no, you're not annoying. :) 

Author's note: This chapter is really short, sorry, but I haven't updated in a week, so I wanted to post something. I'm also starting a new story, I'll upload it soon.

**Chapter Six**

While Amidala was heating water for hot chocolate, Shmi tried asking her a few questions about her old life. She quietly nodded or shook her head to most of them, without giving any details. Shmi had expected that. She guessed that Amidala did not have any interest in talking about Anakin, so she did not mention him.

"How do you like your house?" Amidala asked as they sat down at the table.

"It's beautiful," Shmi said. She paused, then carefully added, "Beru and Owen would love it."

"Would you like a glass of cold water?" her daughter-in-law offered.

Shmi took the hint. "No, thank you."

* * *

She left after she finished her hot chocolate, wanting to get back to Cliegg. She was not really disappointed; it probably was a little too early to try to see Beru and Owen. Besides, she was thrilled that Amidala was pregnant, even though she doubted that the babies were going to make Vader any nicer. He would probably become protective and even more vicious.

Amidala followed her mother-in-law, with her presence hidden, just to make sure she went inside the house next door, then turned and went back.

She sat on the floor of the study and tried meditating, but couldn't concentrate. She was a little bored. Now that she was pregnant, her master was only letting her do mental and light, easy physical practice.

For a moment, she pictured herself running into Yoda and not being able to fight well because of her pregnancy. That seemed unrealistic, though. She doubted that Vader was going to leave her alone somewhere, or make her go on any trips by herself.

She smiled to herself, and got up and went to the garage.

* * *

The next morning, Cliegg's new comlink buzzed. When they first entered their new house, they found it on the table in the kitchen, with a note from Amidala that nicely told them not to call anyone. So far, neither of them had tried to.

Shmi picked it up and turned it on. "Amidala?"

"Good morning," she said. "I wanted to let you know that we're going to Imperial City today. We'll be there for a few days."

"You and Vader?"

"No," Amidala replied. "We're taking you two, of course. I thought you would enjoy it."

"Oh. Thank you," Shmi said, feeling certain that her daughter-in-law mainly wanted to keep an eye on them. At the same time, though, she wondered if Amidala really was trying to be friendly. Maybe this would be a good chance to learn more about her.

"We'll leave later," she said, and turned off her comlink.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

On the way to Imperial City, Cliegg and Shmi sat together at the small table booth in the middle of the ship, mostly talking about Mos Eisley and what their friends and family were doing now - and vacations they would like to take, once Darth Vader and Darth Amidala trusted them more.

Amidala walked past them once, to get drink from a water bottle in the refridgerator, but she just nicely asked how they were doing, and then left them alone.

She stared at Vader for a second as she sat down in her seat again, thinking of how relieved she was, now that she no longer had to try to make him love her. She doubted that she would have been successful.

"Master?" she asked, glancing back at Shmi and Cliegg. They were probably not close enough to hear, or were not paying attention.

"Yes?" he replied.

Amidala lowered her voice anyway. "Did you expect me to detect your feelings on my own?"

"Yes, at first," answered Vader.

"So I failed you?"

"I became impatient and decided to tell you."

Amidala smiled to herself. She wished she did not have to stay with Cliegg and Shmi all day, while her master was at the base. He probably didn't really think that they would try to leave, especially when neither of them was very familiar with Imperial City. But Amidala was not going to argue.

* * *

They stayed on Imperial City for two nights, which passed slowly for Amidala. She stayed in the ship with Cliegg and Shmi during the day. She talked to them a little and cooked in the ship's small kitchen area, but the three of them did not really bond.

Both nights, she and Vader left almost instantly after he returned from the base, and didn't come back from wherever they went until early the next morning. Shmi and Cliegg never tried to leave or call anyone, even though Amidala left her comlink behind both times. Cliegg suspected that she had done that intentionally, to see if he or Shmi would try using it.

On the way back to Yavin Eight, Shmi finally talked to her daughter-in-law more. Cliegg was back in the ship's bedroom, supposedly taking a nap. Amidala thought that he just wanted to be a little farther away from her and Vader.

"Would you like some company?" she asked, sitting across from Shmi at the table booth.

"Sure," her mother-in-law answered, guessing that she was being genuinely nice. "Your ship is lovely."

"Thank you."

"How are you feeling?"

"Well," Amidala said.

Shmi was quiet for a moment, then tried asking, "Would you tell me how Vader found you?"

"I thought that you watched him a few times, when you were dead?" Amidala replied.

"Only a few times. Will you tell me?"

"Okay."

* * *

Sorry for such a short chapter again. The next one will be longer, since it'll mostly be a flashback. 


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

Amidala was quiet for a moment before saying anything, remembering how lonely she had sometimesbeen during the past three years. It had gone away after she started to genuinely like being a Sith. But occasionally, she had still wanted someone to talk to, especially at times when she was feeling depressed or frustrated because she was having trouble learning something new.

She had considered secretly buying a diary, to have something to write in, but she knew better than to try hiding anything from her master.

Shmi interrupted her thoughts.

"If you don't want to tell me..." she said.

"No, I don't mind," Amidala answered. "But I'll wait and tell you when we get home."

"Alright."

Amidala smiled briefly and stood up, and went back to the front of the ship. Shmi watched her, wondering if she had any trace of Padmé left inside her, or if Vader had completely destroyed his apprentice's old self. The idea of trying to get Anakin back had come across Shmi's mind, but she doubted that she could do anything.

* * *

Amidala paused behind the chair her master was sitting in and rested her hand on his shoulder. Ahead, the Yavin system was visible in the distance.

"Master?" she asked, almost whispering. She touched a strand of his blonde hair. "What should I do about Owen and Beru?"

"What do you mean?"

"I think Shmi or Cliegg will try to ask me about seeing them," Amidala explained, "since they probably think that I am...sweet...or more kind, I mean."

"Are you?" Vader asked, mostly to make her nervous. He agreed with her - his mother and Cliegg most likely thought that Amidala was a poor, frightened girl that was really good inside. But Vader would convince them that she wasn't, if he needed to.

"Of course not," his apprentice said. She went over to the seat beside his and sat down. "I just meant that they will relax if we let them see Beru and Owen."

"Do not concern yourself with it."

"Yes, Master," Amidala replied. She stopped caring. Cliegg and Shmi would be much more happy once they saw, from Vader and Amidala's point of view, how good the Empire was.

* * *

Once they reached the houses, Darth Amidala followed with Cliegg and Shmi to their house, and nicely asked if there was anything they needed. They probably knew that she was just making sure they went inside their home instead of trying to leave.

As soon as she was gone, Cliegg asked, "Have you had any luck?"

"No," Shmi said. "I don't want to ask about seeing Beru and Owen yet. I don't think it would be a good idea."

"Do you have any idea how worried they must be? They don't know you're alive again, but they must think that something's happened to me."

"I know."

Neither of them knew that Amidala was still here - she had concealed her presence, and was standing near the front door, which was still open. She needed to leave before one of them came over and closed it.

"Shmi," Cliegg replied, "I love you - much more than I _thought_ I loved Owen's mother, before we got divorced, but..."

"What?" she asked softly, looking as if she were about to cry.

"Nothing." Cliegg was quiet for a second, then started, "If they have any interest in making you like them..."

"I don't think they want to train me. I'll be fifty-five next week."

"Not training," Cliegg explained, "but being on their side. I know that Vader is your son, and you're excited about Amidala being pregnant, but if you let them change you, I..."

"What?" Shmi asked again. "You'll leave me?"

"I don't want to say that."

"I think that's what you mean," Shmi said, sounding more depressed than angry.

Cliegg turned and came toward the door. Amidala quickly went outside before he closed it.

* * *

Of course, Amidala had to tell her master about the conversation. She did that while she was cooking. He was probably angry that Cliegg had upset Shmi, but mostly, he seemed interested in the idea of splitting them up.

His apprentice felt guilty at first. "Master, I'm sure that once Cliegg is used to us..."

"No," Vader interrupted. "My mother would be much happier if he was not holding her back. Do you not see it?"

Amidala was quiet for a second, then nodded. She turned off one of the burners on the stove.

"I was thinking," she said, "that she and I could go somewhere - just the two of us - for her birthday. That would make her start to bond with me."

* * *

I know that this didn't tell how Vader found Amidala, sorry, it's coming up in the next chapter. 


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

Cliegg and Shmi did not talk to each other for the rest of the night. Cliegg went to bed. Shmi went to the living room and watched part of a holomovie, then fell asleep on the couch.

She thought she had a good reason for being upset - her husband might leave her because he was worried that she was going to become evil and dark. He should know better. He was not even trying to get on Vader and Amidala's good side. Shmi admitted that she had not been very comfortable around the two Sith, either, but at least she was trying more than Cliegg was.

She felt much better the next morning, when she entered the kitchen and saw a large, beautiful arrangement of flowers on the table. She looked for a tag or a card, but didn't find one.

A smile came across her face, but it faded when she realized that this couldn't be from Cliegg - he and Shmi were not allowed to leave by themselves yet, so there was no way he could have gone to a florist, and Shmi doubted that he had asked Amidala or Vader to let him.

She sighed, and felt tears in her eyes. She quickly wiped them when she heard the front door open, then close again. Cliegg was awake already. Shmi did not feel like talking to him yet. She didn't think she could without crying.

Vader sensed that she was depressed when he entered the kitchen. She smiled at him and looked at the flowers again.

"Did you and Amidala get these?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered, sliding his arms around her. He leaned down a little to kiss the top of her head.

"Thank you," she replied quietly, briefly thinking of a young bantha that eight-year-old Anakin had once taken care of for a week, while its owner was away. Shmi had known that he wanted one of his own, but he never asked. He knew they didn't have enough money or space.

"Amidala wants to see you," Vader said, letting go of her.

"And Cliegg?"

"Only you."

Shmi nodded.

* * *

As they walked to the house next door, she realized something - Amidala and Vader seemed to only be interested in her. For a moment, she wondered if Cliegg might be right about them wanting to change her. But she still didn't believe that. Vader didn't like his stepfather at all, so it made sense that he didn't want to spend time with him.

Amidala was sitting on the couch in the study, reading something. Shmi was a little touched when she saw that it was a catalog of baby cribs.

"Hello," her daughter-in-law said, sensing that she was still sad.

"Good morning," Shmi replied, sitting beside her. Once Vader left the room, she added, "Vader said that you wanted to see me."

"Yes." Amidala tried to seem a little nervous. "He's going to be on the Executor for most of the day, and I don't feel like going, so...I was wondering if you would keep me company."

"Of course."

"Thank you." Amidala smiled. "I'm hungry. Would you like to go to the kitchen?"

"Okay."

* * *

First, Amidala went outside to talk to Vader before he left. Shmi waited inside the kitchen, wondering if Cliegg was awake yet, or felt sorry for what he had said to her. She doubted it. She didn't think that he had threatened to leave just to scare her.

Her eyes became wet again. She looked up as Amidala came back into the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" her daughter-in-law asked.

"Nothing." Shmi wiped her eyes. "Well...I know you can sense that I'm lying, but I don't feel like talking about it."

"I understand." Amidala touched her shoulder. "If you want to go home, I don't mind. Cliegg might make you feel better."

"He's..."

"...the reason you are upset?"

"It's not a big deal."

"Alright." Amidala went over to one of the cupboards and took out two glasses. "I said I would tell you about how my master found me."

"Yes."


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

"I went out with my two friends, Sabé and Ollana," Amidala started. She poured a glass of water, and a glass of juice for Shmi.

"Thank you," her mother-in-law said, taking the glass from her. "I suppose you aren't still friends with them?"

"No," Amidala answered easily, as if she did not care at all. "We were spending the night at Sabé's house, since all of our parents were going to a party at the college where my father teaches. We decided to go to another city that's near ours, so that our parents wouldn't catch us."

Shmi nodded. "And Vader caught you assoon as you were alone?"

"We went to one of the city's shopping plazas. Sabé and Ollana's boyfriends came there to meet us, so I felt lonely. They went into a dance club. I said that I would be there in a few minutes."

"They let you go somewhere by yourself?"

"I don't think they really noticed," Amidala replied, sounding a little bitter. "I walked around for a while, looking for a theater or something to do. Luke stopped me."

"Luke?"

"That is what he said his name was."

"Oh," Shmi said. Luke was Anakin's middle name. Maybe Vader hadn't cared to think of something else, since he had only been temporarily using it to trick Padmé.

Amidala smiled to herself, thinking of when she had been tracking Syranna and Kalie, and used the name Luke as her master's fake name. She had not been able to think of anything else at the moment.

"He asked me if I needed help," she continued. "I realized I was getting close to one corner of the plaza where a lot of stores were closed for the night, so I guessed that he thought I was lost."

Shmi smiled. "What happened?"

"I told him I was fine." Amidala was quiet for a second, feeling almost embarassed about telling her mother-in-law that she had been dumb enough to trust someone she had just met. But Shmi probably understood.

"Did you talk?"

"Yes. He said that I looked upset, and asked if there was anything he could do. I somehow worked up the courage to ask if he wanted to get coffee or something. I couldn't believe that he said yes."

Shmi smiled again, but it faded quickly when she imagined how scared Amidala - Padmé - must have been when she learned who "Luke" really was.

For a moment, Shmi considered asking her daughter-in-law if she could call Cliegg and let him know that she would be here most of the day. Then she changed her mind. If Cliegg could consider leaving her because she might become evil and dark, he was probably not going to be very worried about her. That thought almost made her cry again, but she managed to hold it back.

"Would you like breakfast?" Amidala asked. She sensed Shmi's pain, but said nothing. She and Vader had to be careful at first, or else Shmi might realize what they were trying to do.

"Alright."

* * *

It was almost midnight when Shmi went home. Cliegg was in the kitchen. She looked at him, but was quiet at first.

"Where were you?" he asked. "You weren't here when I woke up this morning."

"Where do you think I was? I went next door," Shmi answered quietly. "Amidala asked me to."

"You could have told me that you were going to be gone all day."

"_You_ could have just come over and asked if I was there. I don't see why you care so much, if you're thinking of leaving me."

Cliegg wasn't sure what to say, so he ignored that. "What did you two do?"

"She wasn't talking to me about becoming a Sith, if that's what you are thinking," Shmi said. "She didn't feel like going to the Executor, and since Vader was going to be there most of the day, she asked me to keep her company. Later, we went to the market in the city, and Amidala wanted to go look at maternity clothes. Vader was home when we came back and he did something to one of their speeders' engines. Amidala asked if I wanted to ride around with them to test it, so we went to a lake that they know of. It takes almost two hours to get there."

Cliegg felt a little bad, but it didn't last long. He glanced at that flower arrangement that Amidala and Vader had gotten for Shmi, which was still on the kitchen table. He did not really want to leave her, but he did not like the possibility of her changing. She was already acting strange. Whenever they'd had an arguement when she was alive before, she never would have disappeared for the entire day without telling him anything. Now that Cliegg thought about, he couldn't remember if they'd ever even _had_ a fight before.

She looked at him for a second. "I am going to go back and ask if I can stay with them."

Cliegg stopped feeling guilty. "How do I know _you_ won't leave _me_, once they've convinced you to?"

"They revived me, and you now have one of the expensive prosthetic legs that we could never afford," Shmi replied. "Have you thought of thanking them for either of those?"

"I didn't think you would be so happy about your son's Empire."

Shmi sighed and went to their bedroom to get one of her coats. When she came back, Cliegg was still in the kitchen, but he did not try to stop her from leaving.

* * *

When she approached Amidala and Vader's house, she saw that the two of them were standing outside on the front porch, almost as if they had been expecting her. That made her wonder, for a second, if maybe they were trying to trick her. Then she realized how much fun she and Amidala had had today, and felt bad for being suspicious, like Cliegg. She went to the porch.

"Is something wrong?" Amidala asked, sounding genuinely concerned, as Vader slid one of his arms around her waist.

Shmi paused near the bottom of the porch's steps. "Cliegg and I are...not getting along, and...I don't want to be around him..."

Amidala looked up at her master, then offered, "You could stay here tonight, if you wish."

"Thank you."


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

Darth Amidala took Shmi to the small downstairs guest room. The room's walls were still white, not painted, and there was only a bed, a table next to it, and a light blue armchair that matched the bed's blankets. Shmi had a strange feeling that the room had been put together very quickly.

It actually had - part of Darth Vader and Darth Amidala's plan was for Cliegg and Shmi to have a few fights, before Shmi realized she should leave her husband, so Amidala had wanted to have a room for her to stay here sometimes.

"I was going to make this the babies' room," she lied, then truthfully added, "but my master wants the crib to be in our room until the twins are older. He's protective."

Shmi smiled faintly, not appearing to be suspicious now. Amidala noticed how weary and sad her mother-in-law looked, and felt horrible for what she and her master were doing.

"Good night," she said. "You are welcome to stay here tomorrow night, too, if you wish."

"Maybe," Shmi replied quietly. "Thank you."

* * *

Amidala returned the front porch. Vader sensed that she was upset, of course, and she decided to go ahead and tell him why.

"Master?" she asked.

"Yes?" He slid both of his arms around her waist, not seeming angry, but he still sensed that she was nervous about telling him something.

"Are you...sure that we should be doing this to them?"

"Yes. She will be happier. Are you saying that you do not like that?"

"Of course not, Master," Amidala replied, "but I do not like the idea of hurting her."

"You heard their conversation," he said patiently, stroking her hair once or twice. "Cliegg already threatened to leave her. Do you think that we should allow him to hurt her?"

"No."

* * *

Author's note (read please): Sorry for such a short chapter, the next one will be much longer. Also, I wanted to let you know that this _will _be mostly Amidala and Vader again; I know that Shmi has been around a lot lately. 


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

Amidala went over to Cliegg and Shmi's house the next morning. Cliegg was sitting on one of the benches on the front porch. He had been awakened a few hours ago by one of Vader and Amidala's speeders, although he was starting to get used to hearing them leave and come home at all hours of the night.

Amidala was holding something in one of her hands. She looked very beautiful, wearing a short, light pink dress, and seemed to be in a friendly mood. Cliegg started to feel bad for not trying to get along with her, but quickly stopped himself. He was not going to let her fool him the way she fooled Shmi. He didn't care how sweet she seemed to be.

"Good morning," she said. She came up the steps, but paused at the top of them and didn't try to come closer to him. She was holding something in one of her hands. It appeared to be two or three credit cards.

"Where is Shmi?" he asked, not caring about pretending to be nice.

"Getting dressed. We are going to look at baby clothes."

"I suppose that baby stuff is one good way to trick her into becoming closer with you. What do you want?"

Amidala was quiet for a second before answering. Cliegg somehow felt that she was almost upset about whatever she was going to say.

"You have two hours to leave," she told him. "You can have the speeder that I brought you and Shmi here in."

"_What_?"

"You can stay on Yavin Eight if you wish, but I am nicely telling you to move at least a few hours away. I can give you the names of some nice cities that are about that distance from here..."

"I'm not leaving my wife!"

"...or I can think of a few nice towns on the other Yavin planets," Amidala continued. She held out the cards in her hand. There were three of them, which added up to one hundred thousand credits.

Cliegg was about to yell at her, but suddenly realized that it might be a good idea to cooperate - for now. If he moved at least a few hours from here, it would _have_ to be more difficult for Vader and Amidala to watch him closely. Maybe they weren't even going to bother. Then he could try to contact Shmi and convince her to move somewhere else with him.

He let out a heavy sigh, just for effect, and took the cards from Amidala.

"I will come over here later, to make sure you have left," she said.

"What are you going to tell Shmi?" Cliegg demanded, in case the Sith was wondering why he didn't seem to be very angry.

"That isn't your concern," she said. She turned and went down the stairs, and walked over to her house.

* * *

Shmi had not needed to go to her house to get something to wear today. Inside the guest room's closet were some clothes that Amidala claimed to have seen and thought that her mother-in-law would like.

Again, Shmi was a little suspicious - her son and her daughter-in-law just happened to be waiting outside last night, as if they were expecting her, and she did not completely believe that Amidala had wanted to make this into the babies' room. It seemed unlikely that she would have ever been considering having thetwins on the first floor, so far away from her and Vader's room on the second floor.

Then again, maybe Amidala had just made that up because she was a little embarassed about how unfinished the guest room looked. Shmi felt bad. It was sweet of her daughter-in-law to buy her a few outfits, too. She reminded herself that Amidala was trying to become friends with her.

* * *

When she came inside, Amidala found Shmi in the kitchen. They weren't really going to look at baby clothes, but to the lake that Vader and Amidala had showed Shmi before. Since it was almost two hours away, they would not hear Cliegg's speeder leaving. Shmi believed that Vader was going to be at the Yavin Two base all day, but he was actually staying at the house to see that Cliegg left.

"Did you find it?" her mother-in-law asked.

"Yes," she answered. She had lied and said that she thought she left her comlink outside or in the garage. "Would you like to go now?"

"Alright."


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

Shmi thought that Amidala seemed a little worried about something on the way to the lake, but she didn't ask what was wrong. After less than an hour, though, her daughter-in-law seemed to be feeling a bit better.

They stayed at the lake for a couple of hours. Amidala told her mother-in-law a little about learning to feel and use the Force, but didn't try to show her anything or give her any instructions.

Shmi mentioned Anakin twice. The first time, Amidala changed the subject. The second time, when Shmi quietly said that she wondered if Anakin had ever tried to come to Tattooine and look for her, Amidala looked as if she was actually going to reply, but she didn't. She probably thought that her master would be angry if he could hear their conversation. Shmi realized that her daughter-in-law refused to hide anything from Vader.

Once they got into the speeder again, Shmi asked, "When you were out with...'Luke' that night, did you have any idea about who he might be?"

"No," Amidala answered, briefly remembering how nervous she had been after asking the blonde human man if he wanted to go somewhere and get coffee. "No one recognizes him without his armor."

"I know. I was just wondering if he seemed scary."

"Not right away. I was so excited that he wanted to go with me."

"Then what happened?"

"He said he wanted to go to one of the other plazas. We went to his speeder, and we talked for a little while on the way to the café." Amidala slowed the speeder and carefully moved it between two large bushes. Right after the bushes, she turned onto the wide path that went through the woods, which connected one city on one side of the woods to the two closest cities on the other side. They would stay on the path for more than an hour before going into the trees again to get to the houses.

"Didn't you think that your friends were wondering if you were alright?"

Amidala smiled. "Yes, but I didn't really care. I thought that Luke and I wouldn't gone for more than an hour or two, and then I could bring him back to meet Ollana and Sabé and their boyfriends."

"I understand how you felt," Shmi confessed. "Most of my friends had boyfriends before I did. Then I met someone when I was sixteen, but my father didn't like him."

"Why not?"

"He was rich. My father was convinced that he was just using me, and that he would never really like a slave."

"I'm sorry," Amidala said, touched. "What happened?"

"Our master sold us shortly after that, so we had to move, almost to the other side of Tattooine." Shmi changed the subject - mostly because of curiousity, not the sad memory. "You said that 'Luke' wanted to go to another plaza..."

Amidala nodded. "We actually went over to my city, but I didn't worry about running into my parents. After the party at the college, the guests were going to a play. Sabé had already found out what time the play ended, so we would know when to be back at her house."

Shmi laughed. "My friends and I used to do that, too. I caught Owen sneaking out to go see Beru twice, but I never told Cliegg."

Now that she had mentioned her husband, Shmi felt like she hadn't seem him in days, but she was still angry. He hadn't even tried to stop her when she left after their arguement last night. She didn't think that any of this was Amidala and Vader's fault. They had been very patient so far, and Shmi didn't expect that to last much longer. She decided to try talking to Cliegg when she got home.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

Cliegg finally stopped in Yavin Eight's large capital city that afternoon, after riding for more than eight hours. Earlier, he had realized that he couldn't easily contact Shmi. Darth Amidala had given them one comlink when she brought them to the house, and now he had it. He would have to think of something else later.

First, he went to a diner to get something to eat. He was not very depressed, since he was focused on thinking of a way to get Shmi to come to him. He was not concerned about Darth Vader and Darth Amidala trying to change her. She would realize what they were doing.

But there was a chance that she might want to be like them, which did worry Cliegg a little. She was still angry at him.

* * *

"Did he say anything to either of you?" Shmi asked as Vader slid his arms around her. 

He had just returned to the house a few minutes ago, since Shmi thought he had been on Yavin Two for the whole day. Amidala was pretending to be worried that her master would be furious with her.

"I was at the Yavin Two base," Vader lied.

"Oh, that's right." Shmi sighed. "I didn't think he would actually try anything...he isn't foolish."

"How long were you away?" Vader asked Amidala. Shmi looked at him, seeming to believe that he was really angry.

"It is my fault," his apprentice said. "I should have stayed at the house, Master. I am sorry..."

"Don't blame her," Shmi interrupted. "I was the one who asked if we could go somewhere."

Amidala was quiet for a moment, pretending to be nervous, then said, "Shmi, you may stay here for a few days, if you wish."

"No, thank you," she replied. "I want to go home, in case Cliegg comes back."

"Are you sure?" Amidala asked.

"Yes," Shmi answered as Vader let go of her. "I'm tired. I think I'll go now, if you don't mind."

"Alright."

* * *

Amidala walked with her mother-in-law to the house next door, then went home. She had almost offered to stay with Shmi later that night, but she did not feel like being away from Vader. 

As she went inside, she realized how relieved she felt, now the Cliegg had left. Of course, Shmi was extremely upset, but Amidala would help her. She was already thinking of a few admirals and captains, around Shmi's age, who were not married.

She found her master in the garage, cleaning one of their training lightsabers. That reminded her that she needed to clean both of her lightsabers, so she went upstairs to the bedroom to get them.

* * *

**Author's note**: Again, this story will start being more about Vader and Amidala again, I know it's been kind of boring so far, with Shmi and Cliegg around all the time. 


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

Later that evening, Darth Vader and Darth Amidala went for a walk in the woods. They stayed close to the two houses. Neither of them seriously expected Cliegg to dare to come back, but Vader had always taught his apprentice not to underestimate anyone.

"I was thinking of asking your mother if she wanted to go to Admiral Piett's wife's party next week," Amidala said, holding her master's hand. She was wearing a warm red coat she had gotten while she and Shmi were shopping the other day, over black pants and a long-sleeved black shirt.

Now that she was Vader's wife, she often received invitations to parties and events, mainly from people who were trying to be on her and her master's good side. She and Vader almost never went to them, unless someone they wanted to follow was going to be there.

"Perhaps," her master said. He was not completely against Amidala trying to find someone for Shmi, especially if his mother might meet an Imperial officer that she liked.

Amidala carefully stepped over a piece of a tree branch that had fallen on the ground. She had barely seen it in the remaining sunlight. Vader glanced at her and saw her smile faintly.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing, Master. I had a stupid dream last night," she answered.

"What was it about?"

"Us," Amidala said. "It was silly because I wasn't Force-strong at all."

"Your dreams will usually not mean anything," Vader told her. "Do not pay any attention to them."

"They're just dreams, like a non-Force-sensitive person would have?"

"Yes."

Amidala nodded. She had decided not to mention that Padmé Naberrie was actually in the dream, and Vader had been telling her that she had to marry him.

"Master," Amidala asked, "if I really _wasn't_ Force-strong, would you still have married me?"

"That makes no sense," he said. "I met you because I was looking for an apprentice, and if you were not Force-strong, I never would have considered you."

"What if we met some other way?"

"There is no point in thinking about that. Do not act foolish because of a dream you had."

Amidala nodded again, glancing at a bird nest she noticed in a tree's branches. Vader sensed how sad she was. He said nothing, but admitted that there were things that he liked about her which had nothing to do with her Force-sensitivity - like her intelligence and some of the interests they shared.

He squeezed her hand slightly. Her sadness faded after a moment, and she changed the subject.

"Master, I don't think I have ever asked you when your birthday is," she said.

"It is the day before yours."

"Really?" Amidala smiled, stopping for a moment She did not want to go much farther away from the houses. "I don't even know how old you are."

"Twenty-eight."

"You're ten years older than me?"

Vader squeezed her hand again, more tightly, and twisted her wrist around. She winced with pain.

"Is my age going to bother you?" he asked.

"No," she said in a meek voice. "I love you."

He let go of her. She sighed and grasped her wrist for a moment, realizing how angry he was at the thought of her not liking him.

He looked at her for a second, then took her into his arms. After a moment, he reached down and touched her stomach, focusing on the babies. He sensed that they were fine.

Amidala rested her head against his chest for a moment, thinking of when she had asked "Luke" if he wanted to get coffee. While they were talking at the café, she had remembered a play that opening the next night. Twice, she almost had enough courage to ask Luke if he wanted go see it, but both times, she changed her mind and said something else instead. She doubted that he would say yes.

"Can we go back now, Master?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered, taking her hand again.

* * *

Sorry for another short chapter, I haven't updated this story in almost a week, so I wanted to go ahead and post this part. The next one will be much longer, so please don't be too mean in your reviews :) 


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

Cliegg had been able to buy a tiny house with the money that Darth Amidala had given him. The house and the four others next to it were outside of Yavin Eight's capital city. It took half-an-hour to reach the city, but he didn't mind. Once he had Shmi with him again, they would move. He still had almost thirty thousand credits, plus the few thousand that he and Shmi had on Tattooine. That would be enough for them to get an apartment somwhere. They could not live on Tattooine again, though, since that would be one of the first places that Darth Vader and Darth Amidala would look for them.

Cliegg knew that Shmi wouldn't want to hide from the two Sith, but maybe she would once she learned that they had made him leave. But there was another problem - Shmi either wouldn't believe him at all, or she would, but would still want to stay on Vader and Amidala's side.

He sat outside on the porch's steps the next morning, trying to think of what to do. He glanced at the house on the left of his, seeing one of his new neighbors come outside. She was a Falleen woman. Cliegg had seen her yesterday. She looked as if she were a young adult, but since Falleen aged very slowly, Cliegg had no idea how old she was.

She smiled at him and gave him a small wave as she went over to her light purple speeder. Cliegg waved back, and watched her ride away. He thought she was beautiful, but he wasn't actually thinking of giving up on Shmi - even though he wondered if he should. Vader and Amidala could have already convinced her to hate him.

_I still have to try_, he thought.

* * *

That afternoon, Amidala and Vader went to one of the smaller nearby cities. Amidala had a date with one of their new spies. Vader wanted to stay close to them, in case Amidala needed to be defended. Now that she was pregnant, he did not want her to fight very much.

The spy was a Falleen man named Erric. So far, he had not done anything to bother Vader and Amidala, but they wanted to find out a little more about him.

"You look beautiful today, Sara," Erric told Amidala. They were walking through the gardens in a park.

"Thank you," Amidala told him. She was not in a good mood - she had gotten sick earlier, and still felt a little tired. But she had to meet Erric today. He was planning to go to Kamino tomorrow.

"Where did you say you were from?"

"Imperial City," Amidala lied. She knew that her master was here somewhere, but she didn't look around for him. Erric would wonder what was bothering her.

"My cousin lives there," he said, studying her. She was wearing a long-sleeved red shirt over black pants, with her hair down.

He didn't understand what was going on. They had been in the park for almost an hour, and he had released his phereomones twice - she should be practically throwing herself at him. But she did not seem very interested in him at all. She looked like a normal girl, so the phereomones should have worked on her.

"Oh?" she replied, feeling bored. She thought of asking her master if they could go to the lake later. She wanted to do something with Shmi, to keep her mother-in-law from worrying about Cliegg.

"Are you alright?" Erric asked, touching her shoulder. She might be very sad about something, maybe that was why the phereomones weren't working.

"Yes." Amidala smiled at him, realizing that she needed to act more cheerful. "Why are you going to Kamino, if you don't mind me asking?"

"My brother and his wife live there. Their daughter was born last week," Erric answered.

Amidala sensed that he was being honest. "That's wonderful."

The next half-hour dragged by. Finally, Erric suggested going to eat somewhere, but Amidala lied and said she had to meet to her sister.

She was glad that Erric had not said anything that sounded suspicious - she did not feel like following him for the rest of the day, or going to Kamino to watch him. After telling him to have a safe trip, she almost instantly hid her presence. He probably wondered how she had been able to disappear so quickly, but she didn't worry about it.

She walked over to the park entrance that she and Vader had left the speeder near. He was already there. She smiled as she got inside the passenger seat.

"I have nothing interesting to report about him," she said.

"Why is he going to Kamino?" Vader asked. He started the speeder.

"To see his new niece," Amidala said. "Would you still like me to have one of our other agents research him?"

"Yes."

Amidala nodded. She thought about Cliegg for a moment, trying to think of any details that she and her master might have forgotten. Cliegg had taken his and Shmi's one comlink, so there was no way he could call her. Still, Amidala would not be surprised if he dared to show up, which was why she felt uneasy about leaving Shmi for very long.

"Why were you sad the night I found you?" her master asked.

She was quiet for a moment, then said, "I was worried that you weren't interested in me...both of my friends had boyfriends, and I did not."

"What else?"

Amidala hesitated again, then started, "A few weeks before, I had been thinking of running for queen the next year."

"What happened?" Vader had never known or heard of that, so he guessed that she must not have been able to run.

"My parents did not think I would be able to do it," she answered, "and my sister also wanted to run. My parents did support _her_."

"She must have lost."

"Maybe," Amidala said. "I...went with you that night, Master, so I do not know what happened. I doubt that she made it to the final few candidates, or else she would have been mentioned more."

"Would you like to see her?"

"Not really, Master."

"Good."


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

Once they returned home, Vader and Amidala carefully practiced fighting in the backyard for about half-an-hour - the most practice they did each day, now that Amidala was pregnant.

When they went inside, Amidala went upstairs to the study, while her master went downstairs to the basement, where they kept their weight-lifting equipment. On her laptop, she looked over the files she had on her and Vader's spies. She made a note on Erric's file about him having a brother.

Afterwards, she went next door to Shmi's house. When her mother-in-law answered the door, Amidala did not sense as much sadness as she had expected.

"You seem to be feeling better," she said.

"Cliegg obviously doesn't care about me," Shmi replied, closing the door, "or else he wouldn't have dared to leave like that, without trying to make me come with him. I am not going to waste my time worrying about him."

"I see."

"Have you found him yet?"

"What?" Amidala asked.

Shmi looked at her. "Cliegg. Aren't you looking for him? You have to be angry that he got away."

"Not really. My master has not said anything about looking for him."

"Oh." Shmi thought that was strange, but now that she thought about it, she wasn't very surprised that Vader did not care about Cliegg leaving. That made her a little suspicious. She could easily picture the two Sith making Cliegg leave. Her husband had not seemed angry enough to try to go without her.

_Vader was at the Yavin Two Base all day_, she thought, _and Amidala and I went to the lake_.

She sighed.

Amidala looked a little unhappy. "Anyway, I just came to see if you were alright. Would you like to go to one of the cities with me later?"

"No, thank you. I was going to..." Shmi tried to think of an excuse, before remembering that Amidala would sense that she was lying.

"It is fine. I might not go until tomorrow," said Amidala.

She smiled, but her mother-in-law had a feeling that she was a bit irritated. Shmi did not really care right now, though.

"We are not going anywhere else today," Amidala added. "Come next door if you need anything."

"Thank you."

* * *

When Amidala told her master about Shmi's mood, he was not very concerned. He pointed out that she was going to be frustrated at first, but soon, she would start to see that Cliegg was not right for her. 

"I agree, Master," Amidala said as they went inside the living room. She sat down on the couch. "Oh - Mrs. Piett moved her party to tomorrow night, and I forgot to ask your mother if she wants to go."

"Do not. I am taking you somewhere when we return from the Executor tomorrow."

"Yes, Master," Amidala said distantly, briefly thinking of her sister. She really did not have a desire to talk to Sola, since she had always been a little bitter about her parents supportive about Sola running for queen, and Sola had not done anything to encourage them about Padmé running.

Vader sat beside Amidala and touched her arm. After a moment, she looked up at him.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

She hesitated, expecting him to hit her. "Sola."

"I thought you were not concerned with her."

"I am not, Master, I just...I sometimes wish that she and my parents knew who I was now, since they did not believe I was capable of being the queen of Naboo. I know it is wrong to be too proud of myself, but..."

"The Jedi believe it is wrong," Vader said, "but I understand what you are feeling. I still will not allow you to see your parents or your sister."

"Yes, Master." Amidala, glad that he was not annoyed with her. She was not very disappointed - she actually appreciated him keeping her away from them. She thought this was just a brief phase she was going through. Besides, she agreed with what her master had said before - her family might not want anything to do with her when they learned who she was now. He was just trying to save her the pain and anger of them rejecting her.

She stretched out a little to lay down, resting her head on his lap, and fell asleep a few minutes later.

* * *

Author's note: I started a new story called Yours (re-used title) that has Vader/Amidala it (as well as Leia and Mara becoming friends, and Luke/Mara), if anyone is interested. Sorry for advertising. 


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

Shmi's attitude improved greatly over the next few weeks. She and Amidala went to a base opening on Yavin Two one evening, where Shmi met the base's new admiral, who she seemed to like. She had mostly stopped talking about Cliegg, and did not say anything about hating him or still being in love with him.

By the time Darth Amidala was three months pregnant, she and Darth Vader trusted Shmi enough to let her drive to the nearby cities on her own, even when they were away. She started doing her own shopping. She was happy to have their trust, and the thought of trying to leave never occured to her.

One afternoon, when Amidala was eating lunch with Shmi, Shmi noticed a necklace that her daughter-in-law was wearing. It was a small wooden bantha on a black cord, which made Shmi think of the japor snippet charms that Anakin used to make. She started to say that aloud, but changed her mind.

"My master and I are going to Imperial City tomorrow," Amidala said, "for a few days - possibly a whole week."

"You don't want me to go?" Shmi asked. They had never left her alone for an entire week before.

"We are going to be a little busy, and I don't want you to be bored most of the time. We trust you."

The second sentence was probably meant as a subtle, nice warning. Shmi nodded. She still would not be shocked if there were a couple of spies in each of the nearby cities, to watch her whenever she was out.

* * *

Amidala woke up during the night, after having a strange dream about Yoda. She didn't remember everything that had happened in it, just hearing Yoda say that she was like Vader, the way he had when she met him on Dagobah. She had also heard babies - most likely her own twins - crying. But she did not think it was anything to worry about. She remembered her master telling her that dreams were usually normal, not meaning anything.

Looking beside her, she saw that she had moved several inches away from Vader during the night. She slid close to him, and a few minutes later, she was asleep again.

The next morning, as they were leaving the Yavin system, she told Vader about the dream anyway. He only told her to tell him if she had the same dream again.

She was quiet for a moment, and went over to a small panel on one of the cockpit's walls to turn the heating on. Briefly, she thought of all the times her master had left in her alone a forest at night -once for two rainy nights. It had been several months since he had last done that, but she wouldn't expect him to not leave her somewhere, even if she was pregnant. Sith had to be prepared.

"Master," she said as she sat down again, "I know it is early, but I wanted to ask you something about one of the twins."

"What is it?"

Amidala hesitated. "I want to name him Luke."

Vader looked at her for a second, wondering if Shmi had told her that Luke was Anakin's middle name. Probably not, or else she would not have dared to suggest it.

"Very well," he said.

* * *

Sorry for another short chapter, I've been updating Yours (new story where Leia works for Vader and Amidala)


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen**

As soon as they arrived on Imperial City, Darth Amidala sensed that Jobal Naberrie was here. She briefly wondered why just her mother was here, not her father. But she said nothing, pretending as if she did not really care. She was a little sickened when she realized that she was not just pretending.

_It is just my pregnancy_, she thought later, as she and Darth Vader were entering the base. _I am being dramatic_.

Her master did not even mention her mother being here. She wasn't sure if he was just not as familiar with Jobal's presence as she was, or if he wanted to see how his apprentice acted. In case it was the latter, she still said nothing. Within less than an hour, she was so focused on observing and talking with the officers that she almost forgot about Jobal being here.

* * *

Later, after she and Vader looked at a few new shuttles, which were a little larger than the old ones, they left, since Amidala was feeling tired.

After staying in their own ship for a couple of hours, they went out to a restaurant. It was just a few stores down from the small wedding chapel where they had gotten married. Looking at the place as they passed it made Amidala feel sad for a moment. She remembered how badly she had wished that her master loved her.

They managed to get one of the restaurant's small, private dining rooms, even though they had not made a reservation. Amidala was relieved, even though she sensed that her mother was not nearby - at least ten or fifteen miles, she estimated. Her father was still not here, but that could be anything - perhaps he was busy, or Jobal was visiting friends here. Amidala was not going to worry about them.

"I wish we had brought Shmi," she said, mostly to herself, before taking a bite of the bantha steak she had ordered.

"Do you trust her?" Vader asked.

Amidala hesitated, wondering if he really wanted her opinion, or if this was a trick question. Either way, she would be honest.

"Yes," she answered very softly, even though there were no waiters nearby at the moment. "She has barely mentioned Cliegg in the past few weeks. I guess that I would be surprised if she tried to find him."

"What has she said to you about him?"

"Nothing suspicious," said Amidala. She started to add "Master", but then a waitress walked past the room's doorway, which was only covered by a thin white curtain. "But perhaps she does not tell me everything."

* * *

That night, as she got into bed in the ship's small bedroom, Amidala briefly remembered running into Sabé here, but she did not miss her at all, or Ollana. She had had some bitter feelings toward her friends even when she had been a Sith apprentice for only a few months.

Vader touched her cheek. She turned over so that she was facing him and buried her face against his shoulder.

"Master, what are we going to name the girl?" she asked.

"Leia," he said, without explaining why he liked it.

"I like that," Amidala replied, sounding slightly sleepy now. "May I ask you something, Master?"

"What is it?"

"How long have you loved me in return?"

"Before you were pregnant. I love you on my own, not because you tried to persuade me."

Amidala nodded. She moved up a little, so that her face was even with his. He gave her a long kiss and rubbed her shoulder, then slid his arm around her.

"How long will we be here?" she asked him.

"At least two more days. Do not be concerned about your mother," he told her.

"Yes, Master," Amidala said quietly, although now,she _was _a little curious about why her father was not here. "Good night."


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Author's note**: I'm going to put this story in hiatus for a couple of weeks, and I'll add two or three chapters when I update again. I've also noticed that a lot of people say Anakin and Padmé in their reviews. Vader and Amidala are in this story. Obviously they are going to be nice to each other, seeing how they're each the one of the only people that the other cares about, but that does not mean they are being Anakin and Padmé, so I don't mean for you to interpret it that way. 

**Chapter Twenty**

The next day, after leaving the base, Vader and Amidala practiced fighting inside their ship, something they had not done before. Of course, it was cramped, but Vader wanted his apprentice to have the experience. He told her about his fight with one of the Jedi he had tracked down. They had been in a short tunnel and then a small cave for most of the time.

Amidala did well, despite having to be careful because of her pregnancy. Not having a lot of space inside the ship kept them from getting too fast and intense in their fight.

Afterward, though, she was a little tired. Vader let her go back to the bedroom and take a nap while he cleaned her two lightsabers, and one of the training sabers they had just been using. They always used training sabers when they practiced. Originally, Vader had planned to start practicing with real lightsabers, too, after he thought that Amidala had enough experience. But now that she was his wife, he did not want any risk of accidently hurting her.

* * *

A little less than an hour later, Amidala woke up. She changed into a short, long-sleeved dark purple dress, and puta thinblack cloak over it, then went to the front of the ship.

Her master was in the cockpit. She stood behind his chair and rested each of her hands on his shoulders. He didn't look at her at first.

"I love you," she said quietly, touching a strand of his blonde hair.

"If you did not, I would kill you," he replied.

Amidala smiled. She slid her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek, then went over to the chair next to his.

"When will go home, Master?" she asked as she sat down.

"In two days," he answered.

Amidala suddenly felt her father's presence. He was just as close as Jobal was, meaning that he had probably just landed here. Amidala was not exactly relieved, though. She didn't care. If her parents were having problems, they could deal with them themselves. She definately would not waste her time and anger her master by trying to go see them, especially if they were only going to reject her once they learned who she was now.

"Has the spy found out if Yoda moved from Dagobah?" she asked.

"Yes," Vader said. "He told me that the house is empty."

"Does he know where Yoda is now?"

"No. You are going to find him."

"I am?" Amidala asked. "Master, I apologize sincerely, and I would usually not question any order you give me, but I am not sure I should confront him while..."

"Not until after the twins are born," Vader interrupted.

"Oh," his apprentice said, glad that he wasn't annoyed. "Am I going to kill him?"

"No. You will find out if he is training someone."

Amidala nodded, even though she was sure that she could kill Yoda if she ran into him again. If she did, she would do exactly what her master would do - instantly attack, without wasting any time by trying to make vicious remarks or insults. She couldn't believe that he hadn't at least given her another burn with a lightsaber after last time, when she had a chance to fight Yoda, but had not attacked him.

She suddenly thought of something. "Damn it."

"What is it?" her master asked.

"Neither of us gave Shmi and Cliegg another comlink, did we? Just the one I gave them?"

"Yes."

"Then he shouldn't be able to call her, I guess," Amidala said, relieved.

"It has been a few weeks. He would have tried by now," Vader pointed out.

"I did not put a tracking device on his speeder. I thought he might find it, or he might sell the speeder."

"Good. When we return home, you will find him and watch him for a day or so. Do not tell my mother."

"I won't, Master."

* * *

**Author's note again**: I'm going to put this story in hiatus for a couple of weeks, and I'll add two or three chapters when I update again. I've also noticed that a lot of people say Anakin and Padmé in their reviews. Vader and Amidala are in this story. Obviously they are going to be nice to each other, seeing how they're each the one of the only people that the other cares about, but that does not mean they are being Anakin and Padmé, so I don't mean for you to interpret it that way. 


	21. Chapter TwentyOne

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Two days later, they left Imperial City, early in the morning. Darth Amidala was a little bored. She thought of meditating, but trying to quiet her mind so soon after she had woken up always made her sleepy again. She started cleaning both of her lightsabers and one of Darth Vader's.

Her master's other lightsaber had a small red jewel on the metal ring at the end of the handle. The jewel had to belonged to Darth Plagueous. Vader had found it somewhere. He was going to give it to Amidala one day, probably when she had been his apprentice for a few more years.

After she was done cleaning all three lightsabers, she went back to the cockpit.

"Master," she said as she sat down in her chair beside his, "I had that dream again, last night. The one about Yoda."

He looked at her. "Was it the same?"

She thought for a moment. "Yes, Master, but I wasn't very clear when I described it to you last time. I heard a baby crying in the backgound, but I'm not sure if it was one or two babies."

"Can you remember anything else that happened in it, either time?"

"No, Master."

Vader pointed at the panel on one of the cockpit's walls and mentally pressed the button to turn on the air conditioning.

"Mace Windu found you," he said.

"What?" Amidala exclaimed. "When?"

"When you were one or two years old, I believe."

"Why didn't I become a Jedi, then?"

"Mace found you in a plaza on Alderaan. You were lost. He brought you to Yoda, but they decided to find your parents and return you to them."

"My parents never told me about that," Amidala replied, realizing that Anakin Skywalker would have been eleven or twelve then. He and Padmé could have both been Padawans together, even though he was much older than her and would have become a master when she still had several years of training left.

"I wonder why they didn't want to train me," she added. "I would have been young enough. Do you think they sensed something about me?"

"Perhaps," Vader said, sounding as if he was not going to give her anymore details.

She started to ask if Anakin had ever seen Padmé, but changed the subject instead. "Will you go with me to look for Cliegg, Master?"

"Yes."

* * *

Bryann was one of the few Jedi that were successfully hiding from Vader and Amidala. He was a human, twenty-six years old with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He and Anakin Skywalker had talked before and practiced together a few times, but had not been close friends. His master had been killed by Count Dooku a couple of months before Anakin turned.

Ollana, the Twi'lek girl who had been one of Padme's best friends, was now married to Bryann. She knew that he was a Jedi, but he had not told her that her friend had become Darth Amidala.

Bryann had not tried to hide his marriage from Yoda and the other remaining Jedi. Now that there were only a few of them, he wasn't going to be thrown out for getting married. And no one would be veryangry if he and Ollana had a child. There would be someone for them to train.

After a couple of weeks of looking, Bryann and Ollana finally found a house that Bryann thought was safe. They had lived in three apartments since they had gotten married. Ollana had understood from the start that her husband would be trying to hide, but she was still a little annoyed at times. Bryann was always afraid to let her go anywhere by herself, and didn't want to visit Imperial City, where Ollana's sister and brother both lived.

Their new house was on Naboo, in Theed. It was a little small, and Ollana's parents still had to help them pay for it, but Bryann thought it was a safe location. He doubted that Amidala and Vader came here often, since it was near the town where Padmé had lived.

* * *

When they returned home, Vader and Amidala went to see Shmi first. Afterward, when they standing on their front porch, Vader told his apprentice about Ollana being married to Bryann.

"I heard she got married, but I did not know her husband is a Jedi, Master," Amidala said. She glanced at something dark as it flew past the porch, probably a bat.

"I will not make you search for Cliegg," he replied. "Instead we will watch Bryann and Ollana together."

"Yes, Master." Amidala bowed her head.

He ran his fingers through her hair, then touched her chin. She looked up at him again.

"I will be able to see how much you still care for your friend," he said.

"She _isn't_ my friend!" Amidala insisted.

"Good. Then this will not be difficult for you."


	22. Chapter TwentyTwo

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

While Darth Vader and Darth Amidala had been on Imperial City the past few days, Shmi had gotten a letter from Cliegg. She had not told them about it - they had not asked her if she had heard from him - but she knew that she should probably tell them soon, and it would better for her to tell them on her own than for them to find out that she had been hiding it from them.

The letter wasn't very long. In it, Cliegg told her that he had a house in the Yavin system, but didn't exactly say that it was here on Yavin Eight. He had probably not wanted to say, in case Amidala or Vader found the letter. He also said that he missed Shmi very much, but he didn't go into much more detail or try to persuade her to do anything. Perhaps he thought she would ignore him.

For now, she kept the letter in the small drawer of the nightstand beside her bed. It wasn't a very good hiding place, but she didn't think she had given Amidala and Vader any reason to sneak into her room and look around.

She had thought of writing Cliegg back, but she wasn't sure what to say, and he had not included his address on the letter, anyway. She decided to wait and see if he would write her again, before saying anything to Vader and Amidala.

* * *

It was a whole week before Vader and Amidala went to Naboo, since Vader wanted his apprentice to spend a few days resting.

Even though she had no interest in going back to her old life, Amidala still loved going to Naboo. She thought it would be nice to have a house in the Lake Country, but she didn't know how to suggest that to her master.

The two of them walked through a couple of streets lined with shops and restaurants, not far from Bryann and Ollana's house. The main point of this trip was just to let the Jedi and his wife see that Vader and Amidala were aware of them.

"Cristina's family had a cottage in the Lake Country, but they were thinking of selling it. I don't know if they did or not," Amidala said, holding onto her master's hand. By "Cristina", she really meant Ollana.

"I doubt that they would stay there, if her husband knows that you know of it."

_I wonder if Ollana even knows...what happened to Padmé_, Amidala replied mentally.

_Her husband would not hide it from her_, Vader said.

_Perhaps he would, if he wanted to protect her and Padmé's friends_.

A few minutes later, they spotted Ollana and Bryann sitting at a table, in front of a café. Bryann looked at them within a minute. He should have sensed their presences nearly an hour ago. There would have been plenty of time to leave. Amidala guessed that he had not wanted to frighten his wife.

She and Vader paused not far away, in front of the baby clothing store next to the café. They knew that Bryann would not want to fight here, in public. Amidala smiled and gave him a small wave of her hand.

* * *

Ollana turned around and saw who her husband was looking at. Padmé was wearing a short, sleeveless white dress, and the man with her - her husband - was wearing a sleeveless white shirt with light tan pants.

At first, Ollana was happy to see her friend, but then she wanted to go over and scream at her. She had disappeared three years ago, and completely ignored Sabé when Sabé ran into her.

"It's Padmé," Ollana whispered to Bryann. She started to turn around again, but her husband touched her wrist.

"Don't," he said. He leaned foward and lowered his voice to a whisper, and also spoke in Twi'lek. "Do you know who that blonde man is?"

His wife switched to Twi'lek, too. "Who?"

"Darth Vader. He doesn't need his armor. When he isn't wearing it, he can go out without anyone recognizing him. That's also why Darth Amidala wears so many cloaks and cloths over part of her face."

"What?" Ollana turned around and glanced at the couple. Amidala was looking up at Vader and saying something. He slid his arms around her waist.

"Do you believe me?" Bryann asked.

"Yes, but what are you trying to say? Is he having an affair with Padmé? Do you think Amidala knows?"

"Amidala is - _was_ Padmé."

Ollana had already realized that before her husband answered. She turned and looked at the two Sith again. This time, Amidala looked back at her. Ollana quickly turned around again.

"And she is pregnant," Bryann added. "She is having a boy and a girl."

His wife nodded, knowing that he could sense it.

"Shouldn't we leave?" she asked quietly. She glanced at Amidala once again, feeling more sad this time.

"Yes. Let's get to a transport station and go somewhere. I think I have enough credits with me to get two tickets."

"Okay."


	23. Chapter TwentyThree

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

Bryann was surprised that he and Ollana got to the nearest transport station without being followed by Vader and Amidala. The two Sith were practically letting them go - or at least, it seemed like they were. Bryann did not relax.

He and Ollana looked at one of the large screens in front of the station's entrance. Only two transport ships were leaving very soon - in ten minutes - and still boarding passengers. One was going to a tropical island on the other side of Naboo, and one was going to the Lake Country.

"We have to go the island," Bryanna whispered to his wife. "We need to get as far away as possible."

"What about the one going to Alderaan?"

"It doesn't leave for two hours. By that time, Vader or Amidala will get here and find out which transport we're taking."

"If they wanted to know, they would have been following us already. I don't see them anywhere," Ollana replied.

"Because they probably want us to _think_ that they won't be following us," Bryann said.

They entered the station and spotted a ticket-selling booth that had only five people in line. Just they as they reached it, though, the middle-aged human woman behind the counter announced that there were no more tickets left for the transport going to the island.

"I guess we have to go to the Lake Country," Ollana muttered.

"We won't stay near the cottage that your parents own," Bryann whispered in Twi'lek.

It turned out that he only had enough money to get one ticket, so he had to use a mind trick on the woman to get a second one. He hated using mind tricks to steal, but didn't have a choice right now.

Something else happened when he and Ollana went aboard the transport ship - he suddenly sensed that Ollana was pregnant. It was a girl. Vader and Amidala hadn't sensed it yet, since Bryann just had, but they would know the next time they saw Ollana.

Ollana spotted an empty table in the eating area. Once she and Bryann sat down, he started to tell her about the baby, but decided to wait until later.

* * *

Amidala and Vader already knew where Bryann and Ollana were going. They went to the café - taking the same outdoor table that the Jedi and his wife had just been at. There was a stand beside the café's entrance that had a paper from the transport station, listing the times ships were leaving today. Vader and Amidala had not been standing close enough to hear all what Bryann and Ollana were saying, after the couple stopped keeping their voices low, Amidala had caught the Twi'lek words for "transport station". She was not fluent in Twi'lek, but recognized those words.

"They have to be going to an island or the Lake Country," she said to her master as she looked at the paper in front of her. She took a sip of the icy fruit juice drink she had ordered. "The transports going to Yavin Six and Imperial City left an hour ago."

"Is there another station that they could have gone to?" Vader asked.

"It's on the other side of Theed. I doubt they would want to go all the way there."

"We will go to the Lake Country first. Will you be able to find the house that Ollana's parents own there?"

"Yes," Amidala answered, "but even if they haven't sold it, Ollana probably knows that I will look there. One of her uncles owns a hotel there, so she and Bryann may stay at it."

She and Vader left a minute later, just as the waiter was approaching their table.

"Hey! You have to pay for that drink!" he shouted at them.

They ignored him and both concealed their presence, and began walking back to the landing lot where their ship was.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Ollana asked, reaching across the table to touch Bryann's arm. He sighed, deciding that he might as well tell her now.

"You're pregnant," he whispered.

"I am?" she asked.

"I sensed it just a few minutes ago. It's a girl."

"Great," Ollana muttered. "Are you happy?"

"Worried, but I will be happy," Bryann said, thinking of Amidala. She had not been showing, so she couldn't be far along in her pregnancy. Her and Vader's twins would be the same age as Bryann and Ollana's daughter. Their children would be fighting with each other.

"Are you going to train her?" Ollana asked.

"I would like to. Mace Windu and Yoda will probably want me to," Bryann said.


	24. Chapter TwentyFour

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

"This place has only two bedrooms," the Twi'lek woman said as she opened the lake house's front door. "Great for a couple like you. And as you can see, there's a pond right outside..."

"We'll take it," Darth Amidala interrupted, slipping her hand inside Vader's. This house and a couple of others were just a few minutes away from the hotel that Ollana's uncle owned. The two Sith had sensed that Ollana and Bryann were here, although they had not found out where the Jedi and his wife were staying.

"I haven't even showed you the inside," the woman said. "Are you sure you don't want to look around first?"

"Yes," Amidala answered.

"Alright, I guess. It's eight hundred credits a month..." The woman paused. "Padmé! I knew that you were familiar. I just couldn't think of your name!"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm Ollana's aunt, Tina. I met you when she had her birthday party at our house, remember? Her fifteenth, I think? My husband and I own a hotel not far from here."

"My name is Krista," Amidala said. "You must have me confused with someone."

"I'm pretty sure..." Tina started, staring at her for a moment. "Oh. I guess I do. Well, enjoy the house. Let us know if there are any problems."

"Thank you," Amidala replied.

As soon as Tina left, she locked the front door. She sighed, hoping that she and Vader did not run into anyone else that knew Padmé while they were here.

Her master slid his arms around her and pulled her close, then touched her chin to make her look up at him.

"You make me proud," he said.

"Thank you, Master," she replied. She was very happy to hear that. Although he now loved her in return, he did not give her any more praise than he had before, and he was not softer whenever she did not do something right. She appreciated that.

He glanced at the window. The sun was starting to set. Ollana and Bryann would probably stay here for at least tonight. He took Amidala's hand and they went back to one of the bedrooms.

* * *

The hotel that Ollana and Bryann were in was more than half-an-hour away from the lakehouse that Vader and Amidala had rented. They used the last of their credits with them to get the room for the night. 

Ollana was sitting on the couch while Bryann took a shower. She was happy that she was pregnant, but she couldn't get excited about it without thinking of the childhood that her daughter would have. The family would move around a lot, always hiding from the Sith, and the girl was going to be trained. That would be something that would make Ollana feel left out, since she wasn't Force-strong.

_I knew this would happen when I married Bryann, and I was ready for it_, she thought.

She pushed the negative thoughts away. She was sure that she would feel much better once she and Bryann were farther away from the two Sith.

She was still dealing with the shock of what had happened to Padmé. She wondered if she should tell Jobal and Ruwee Naberrie, but she doubted that they would believe her. After she and Sabé let Padmé go off on her own that night, the Naberries did not like them much anymore. They would definately be angry if Ollana tried to tell them that their daughter was Darth Amidala now, and that she was pregnant.

Ollana yawned, realizing how tired she was. She stretched out on the couch and soon fell asleep.

* * *

I'm sorry for the very short chapter, the next one will be much longer. I haven't updated in a week and I have a new story (Next To You) so I wanted to post something. 


	25. Chapter TwentyFive

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

The next morning, when Ollana woke up, she went down to the pool behind the hotel. She did not have a bathing suit, since she and Bryann had left Theed quickly. She considered buying one before they left, since they would probably be traveling a lot during the next few months.

Bryann opened his eyes just as she was about to open the bedroom's door.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"The pool."

"Wait a minute. I'll go with you."

"Get some more sleep," Ollana said. "I already went out to the balcony and looked. There's ten people at the pool already. You said that Amidala and Vader aren't going to attack us in public and make a huge scene."

Bryann sighed, obviously not liking it. "Fine. I'll be down there in a little while."

"Okay." Ollana went over to the bed and sat beside him for a moment. She kissed his forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

Ollana found an empty chair by one of the two pools and sat down, since she didn't have a bathing suit. There were several small stores beside the hotel where she could get one, but she decided to wait until Bryann joined her. Then she remembered that they had no more money with them. They were going to go to a bank before leaving Naboo and get a few thousand credits from their account. 

It wasn't long before Darth Amidala, who came in from the pool area's opposite entrance, sat in the chair next to hers. When Ollana finally looked up and noticed that the Sith Lady was sitting beside her, she froze. Then she glanced over at the pools and saw that there were at least twenty other people here now. She reminded herself that Amidala was not going to make a scene by killing someone here, but that did not calm her very much.

"Hello," she muttered.

"Good morning," Amidala said. She was wearing a red bikini, and her hair was shorter now, stopping an inch or two past her shoulders. She must have gotten it cut yesterday.

"Go away," Ollana whispered, although part of her wanted to see if Amidala might be Padmé again for a moment.

"Congratulations. I am pregnant, too."

"My husband told me. I feel sorry for your twins already."

"Tell him and the remaining Jedi that it would be wise to stay away from mytwins once they are born."

"No one has said anything about trying to steal your babies, if that's what you're thinking," Ollana said. She paused. "Do you actually love Vader?"

"Yes," Amidala answered. She stood up. "Speaking of him, we have some errands to run. I will see you later."

"What are you going to do?"

"You will find out."

"Wait, Padmé," Ollana said, standing. "You can leave Naboo with Bryann and I. Yoda will..."

"...be killed the next time I run into him," Amidala interrupted. "You and your husband could be much happier with the Empire."

"We would never join you."

"I suppose your daughter will enjoy moving around and hiding all the time," Amidala said, "although, now that I think of it, I believe that the Executor's captain and his wife are trying to adopt a baby girl."

"Don't go near our daughter!" Ollana hissed. She looked around. No one seemed to have heard her.

Amidala suddenly vanished - Ollana knew that she had concealed her presence. Ollana went back inside the hotel and returned to her and Bryann's room.

* * *

Bryann was already awake when she entered the room. She quickly told him about her and Amidala's conversation. Before she was done talking, he suddenly had a very concerned look on his face, as if something else had just happened. 

"What is it?" Ollana asked.

"You lost the baby."

"_What_?

"Just now," Bryann said, pulling her close.

"Did Amidala kill her?" she asked.

"No. She was fine before you came in here."

Ollana sighed and pressed her cheek against his. "Well, at least now we can wait and try to have a baby when we have another house...somewhere that will be harder for the Sith to find...moving to Naboo was a stupid idea."

"We can look on Alderaan - or buy a ship and live in it, and move around for a few months."

"Okay."

* * *

When they returned to the house they had rented, Vader and Amidala went outside to the pond. Amidala laid a towel on the ground and they sat down. Her master noticed how unaffected she was by her conversation with Ollana earlier - and of course, she had told him everything that was said. 

Despite the fact that she and Ollana were not friends, Amidala somehow sensed Ollana losing the baby.

"Master," she said. She told him what had happened, but she was mostly curious about how she had been able to sense it.

"Perhaps you still care for her," Vader said.

"I _don't_!" Amidala insisted. Her eyes were wet now. "I want you to believe that am loyal to you. I will do whatever you want."

"Then it will not be difficult for you to kill her."

Amidala shook her head. "No. It won't."

* * *

Just as they were about to leave their hotel room, Bryann took his wife's hand and led her over to the couch. 

"Ollana," he said. "I don't want to leave until tomorrow."

"Why not? Amidala or Vader could come here any minute."

"I know. I want to fight them tonight."

"What?"

Bryann rested his hand on Ollana's knee. "They're here, and I have the opportunity. I will try to find them tonight and surprise them."

"You can't! There's two of them and one of you!"

"I have been in several situations where I was fighting two opponents - sometimes a small group," said Bryann.

"Have you ever fought two _Sith_?" Ollana asked.

"Do you think that I can't do this?"

"I just want you to be realistic. At least wait until Yoda or someone else is with you."

"I have to do it now. They won't be expecting me to attack them," Bryann replied. "Besides, I can try to get one of them alone first."

That made his wife feel slightly better, but she still did not like the idea. "Maybe that would work, _if_ Vader would let Amidala out of his sight for two minutes. I bet he was around somewhere when she talked to me earlier."

"Probably, with his presence hidden," Bryann admitted, "but I have to take this chance to defeat them."

Ollana sighed. "Let me go with you."

"No."

"_Yes_. I'm going. Maybe it will help if I am a distraction to Amidala or something."

"Maybe," Bryann said. "You do understand that this is Darth Amidala, not Padmé."

Ollana leaned touched his arm. "Yes. I understand now."

"I am glad," he said. "Now, let's go shopping or something - we'll stay out in public for the rest of the day, so that they can't bother us."

"Okay."


	26. Chapter TwentySix

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

To pass some time, Bryann and Ollana went down to the pool again. They sat down, since Ollana did not feel like swimming.

After hearing that Bryann wanted to try to fight Darth Vader and Darth Amidala, Ollana had almost forgotten about losing her baby. But now, she frowned when she saw two Zabrak girls, who both seemed to be three or four years old, playing in the shallow section of one of the pools. Bryann sensed her sad mood, and noticed the look on her face. He reached over and rested his hand on her arm.

"After we deal with...our problem here," he said, "we'll start trying. And we won't tell Yoda or anyone else until after you're pregnant again."

"Pad-- Amidala is lucky," Ollana muttered. "She doesn't have to worry about what anyone will think about her pregnancy."

"Are you saying that you'd rather be on her side?"

"Of course not. I'm just in a nervous mood. Sorry."

"I understand," Bryann replied. He leaned a little closer to her and whispered, "I brought my extra lightsaber with me. I will show you a couple of things with it."

Ollana nodded. "Alright."

"I still don't want you to go with me."

"And I still don't think you can deal with both of them on your own. Are you sure you don't want to leave?"

"We're not leaving until I try," said Bryann.

"Didn't Yoda tell you that there is no 'try'?" Ollana asked. "You will either kill them or be killed by them. And I'm sorry, but I don't think it will be the first one."

"Let's not get negative. We don't need that."

"You're right. Speaking of them..." Ollana pointed ahead, at the short fence that surrounded the pool area.

Amidala and Vader were standing in front of it. Amidala was looking up at her master, saying something. She briefly glanced over at the speeders in the street, watching until it was safe to cross. On the other side of the street were several people with tables of food and merchandise that they were selling.

Then Amidala suddenly looked over at Bryann and Ollana. She waved at them.

"Do you want to join us?" she shouted.

"Why don't you drop dead?" Ollana yelled back.

A Zabrak woman who was just starting to walk past, and was carrying one of the young Zabrak girls, looked at Ollana with annoyance. The girl started to cry.

"I hope you're happy!" the woman said. "You scared my daughter. What is your problem?"

Ollana ignored her and looked at Amidala again. Vader slid his arm inside hers, and they went across the street. The Zabrak woman let out an irritated sigh and kissed the top of her daughter's head, then walked over to the other pool.

Once she was farther away, Bryann leaned toward his wife again and whispered, "We should probably go somewhere tonight where we can be alone, so they can find us."

"Won't they think that's strange?" she asked. "They'll probably realize that we're trying to fight them."

"Maybe."

"We'll bring a couple of blankets and go to a spot near a pond somewhere," Ollana said, "and make it look like we were trying to have a romantic evening alone, and weren't expecting anything."

"Good idea," said Bryann, standing up. "Want to go get something to eat?"

"Okay."

* * *

When they crossed thestreet, they found a table where two young human women were making fruit salads. As they were about to go closer, a female voice called out both of their names. They turned around and saw that it was Ollana's aunt, Tina. 

"Hi," Ollana said, hugging her. "How are you?"

"Fine", Tina replied. She hugged Bryann, then said, "Actually, something strange happened."

"What?" Bryann asked.

"I was showing one of the lake houses to this human couple," Tina explained, "and I swear, the girl looked exactly like Padmé."

"Really?" Ollana looked at Bryann.

"Yes," said Tina. "But she said that her name was Krista. Does Padmé have a twin?"

"She does," Ollana lied. "Krista. Which house did they rent?"

"One of the two that your uncle and I just bought, close to Queen Jamilla Lake," Tina answered, "about forty-five minutes away. It's very nice. It has its own pond."

Ollana nodded. "I think we'll go by and say hello later. I'm sure that Krista didn't mean to be rude."

"Alright. Let me know if there's anything that she and her husband don't like about the house."

"I will."

"See you later," Bryann said.

Tina hugged them both again, then left.

"Let's go over there later," Ollana whispered to her husband. "We'll surprise them."

"Alright," he agreed. He kissed her forehead. "And we'll go earlier - this afternoon - after I show you some things with the lightsaber."

* * *

Vader and Amidala were not far away, but they were inside a restaurant. The place had a nice deck outside with a wonderful view of the lake, which was less than a hundred feet away. But Amidala wanted to sit at a table inside, where it was cooler. She was starving, and the doctor she saw on the _Executor_ had told her to start gaining a few more pounds. 

"The Lake Country is a wonderful place," she told Vader, "if you can tolerate the tourists. They're here all year."

He looked at her, feeling proud. She was acting as if he had not told her, yesterday, to kill one of her former best friends. But of course, Ollana had been friends with Padmé, not Amidala.

Amidala took a bite of the fish she had ordered, then softly said, "I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" Vader asked.

His apprenticed leaned foward a little. "Before we left Yavin Eight, remember when I went inside your mother's house, while she was talking to you on the porch...?"

"Yes?"

"I went into her bedroom and looked in her nightstand's drawer."

"Why?"

"I bought a necklace for her, and I was going to leave it there," Amidala explained. "There was a letter from Cliegg inside the drawer. I did not know if she told you about it."

"She did not," Vader replied. "What did it say?"

"Cliegg said that he misses her, and that he has a house in the Yavin system somewhere, but he didn't say which planet."

"We will handle it when we return home tomorrow."

Amidala nodded.

* * *

More than three hours later, when they returned to the house they had rented, they stood beside the pond instead of going inside. Ollana and Bryann watched from the larger bedroom's window, peeking through a tiny space between the curtains. They could quickly move off to the side if Vader or Amidala turned around. 

"Are you sure we shouldn't go outside?" Ollana whispered.

"Wait for them to come in," her husband replied. None of the lights in house were on, and with the curtains almost closed over the window, there was only a thin line of sunlight coming in.

"I can't do this to Amidala. She's pregnant."

"I told you, we won't hurt her," Bryann said. "Once we kill Vader, it will be the two of us against her. I'm sure she would rather surrender than struggle and cause harm to the babies."

"No. It will be one Sith Lady against one Jedi andanother person who hardly knows anything about fighting," Ollana said. "I think she'll be able to handle it."

"_Don't_ get discouraged!" Bryann said harshly.

Ollana looked hurt.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "I love you. Now, remember what I said. Try to avoid turning your back on your opponent, and if she tries to move things and make them fly at you, just slash them with your lightsaber."

Ollana nodded. They had praticed that in their hotel room earlier. Bryann had moved shampoo bottles, pillows, and other objects toward her for her to attack. That had left pieces of bottles and six ruined pillows on the floor. They probably could not go back to the same hotel after making such a mess.

Vader and Amidala began walking away from the pond. A few minutes later, Bryann and Ollana heard the front door open. They slowly walked over to the room next door, the living room that had a lovely view of the pond, and two glass doors that led outside. It would be a larger area to fight in.

Bryann went over to the glass doors and punched one. His leather gloves were thick enough to keep any glass pieces from cutting his hand. Ollana went over to the opposite side of the room. She was not going to reveal right away that she had a lightsaber.

Things did not go as Bryann had guessed they might. As soon as Amidala and Vader came into the room, Amidala quickly took her lightsaber out, ignited it, and rushed over to Bryann, without waiting for any instructions from her master. Bryann had not expected that. He barely turned his own saber on in time to block Amidala's attack.

Ollana and Bryann had also thought that one Sith would fight each of them, but instead, Vader ignored Ollana and started to join Amidala.

Bryann glanced at a large vase that was sitting on a nearby table. He mentally pushed it to floor. It shattered. Amidala was distracted by the loud noise, and Bryann almost cut off her hand, but then the tip of Vader's blade stopped his. Amidala and her master both slammed their blades against Bryann's at almost the exact same moment, hoping to startle him and make him drop his lightsaber, but he managed to hold onto it.

Ollana finally turned her lightsaber on and hurried over, while Vader's back was still turned to her. She was just a few feet away when Amidala noticed, and made a weird motion, as if she were throwing something. Ollana felt as if she had been hit by a heavy, invisible ball. She fell to the floor, but quickly got up again, and was able to keep her lightsaber in one hand the whole time.

Ollana bolted toward Amidala this time, hoping that Vader would be distracted. At the last moment, she pretended to trip and threw herself against Amidala's legs. It worked. Amidala fell to the floor. Thinking of the babies, she actually dropped her lightsaber on purpose so that she could catch her fall with her hands and avoid landing on her stomach. Her lightsaber went off when it landed on the floor. She also cut her palm on a piece of the broken vase.

It would have been a good chance for Bryann to try to cut one of her hands off again - he did not want to kill her, because of the twins she was carrying - but he and Vader had moved a few feet away while fighting.

Ollana had dropped her lightsaber, too, and it also went off. She reached for it, but Amidala was quicker. The Sith Lady grabbed her own saber first and turned it on, then cut off the hand that Ollana was reaching with. Ollana shrieked. Amidala did not waste the opportunity. She stabbed her lightsaber blade through the middle of Ollana's back.

"No!" Bryann shouted.

He quickly looked around. On the other side of the room, which he and Vader were closer to now, was another small table, exactly like the other one, with an identical vase on it. He mentally pushed the vase to the floor, but Vader simply moved back and avoided it.

Bryann took the moment to run over to other side of the room, while Amidala was briefly examining the deep cut on her palm. As he approached, she raised her lightsaber, ready for him to attack her.

Surprisingly, he let go of his lightsaber and let it fall to the floor, as if he didn't even care. Tears were coming from his eyes now. He knelt beside Ollana and looked at the wound in her back, and kissed one of her lekku, then her cheek.

Amidala looked at her master and shrugged, deciding not to wait. She stabbed her blade through Bryann's back.

Ollana muttered something to her husband, in Twi'lek. Amidala knew it was "I love you", she had seen it on a Valentine's Day card. Bryann said the same thing, with a few more words added. Ollana said something back, and then closed her eyes. Bryann closed his a second later.

Vader and Amidala did not go until after they sensed that Bryann was dead. Ollana was not Force-sensitive, so Amidala reached down and felt her neck to make sure that her pulse had stopped. Then they left the lake house.

* * *

Vader said nothing to comfort his apprentice, because he sensed that she was not upset at all. She was actually quite calm. He took off the sleeveless black shirt he was wearing, so that she could wrap it around her palm until she could get the bandages inside their ship. 

Once they were inside their speeder, he told her, "I am proud of you."

"Thank you, my Master." She smiled, unable to believe that he had said that twice in two days.

"I want you to rest for the next two days. Then we will see if Cliegg has to be dealt with."

"Yes, Master."


	27. Chapter TwentySeven

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

Shmi Skywalker had gotten another letter from Cliegg while Darth Vader and Darth Amidala were on Naboo. This one was only a couple of sentences - Cliegg just said that he loved her and missed her, and told her that he was making a lot of money repairing speeders. Like the last letter, it had no return address. She put it with the other one, in her nightstand's drawer.

She was not sure what to think. It had been weeks since Cliegg left her, and he had not tried to write her sooner. But perhaps he wanted to make the two Sith think that he didn't care about contacting her.

It was dark outside when she heard Vader and Amidala's speeder pull up to their house. She wondered if they knew about the first letter from Cliegg. If so, they would see that she couldn't write him back - he hadn't said where exactly he lived - but they might want to know how she felt.

She went to bed without going outside to talk to them. By tomorrow, possibly, she could sort out her feelings and be able to give Vader and Amidala - if they wanted to talk to her - an honest answer that wouldn't make them angry.

* * *

Amidala slept late the next morning. Vader did not wake her. He stared at her for a moment before leaving the bedroom. He was considering letting her command the _Executor_ mostly by herself when they went there the day after tomorrow. Everyone respected her, of course, but she was almost always with her master. Vader wanted to give the men more opportunities to see that Amidala was frightening alone, too.

He walked over to the bed and reached down to touch her cheek, then left the room.

When he entered the living room downstairs, he looked through one of the windows and saw that Shmi was approaching the house. He went out to the front yard.

Shmi smiled faintly at him. Sometimes she did feel a tiny bit of nervousness when she saw her son. She knew that was a little ridiculous, but he had killed most of the Jedi, some of whom he - Anakin - had probably been good friends with. She wondered if he would kill his own mother if he thought he had a good reason.

Then, when he slid his arms around her and gave her a tight hug, she felt very guilty. He was still her son, and she was glad to be around him again, even though he was dark. It was better to be on his good side than to reject him and make herself more unhappy.

_But what am I already unhappy about?_ she thought. _Cliegg? He dared to sneak away and risk making two Sith angry. He must have really wanted to leave me_.

"Good morning," she said, letting go of Vader. "Is Amidala still asleep?"

"Yes," he answered.

"How much longer until the twins are born?"

"Six months."

Shmi nodded. "How was your trip to Naboo? Is everything alright?"

"Yes," Vader replied. "We dealt with a Jedi and his wife."

"Yoda?"

"No. Ollana's husband."

"What?" Shmi asked. "Padmé's friend?"

"Her name is Amidala," Vader corrected.

"Amidala, sorry."

"Yes, it was her."

"You killed her? Right in front of Amidala?" Shmi asked, stunned.

"Amidala killed them."

"How could you make her do that?"

"We fought them together," said Vader. "If Amidala did not kill one or both of them, I would have."

"But how could you make her fight them?"

"They came to us."

"Oh." Shmi did not want to talk about this anymore. Before now, she had thought that Amidala was...not exactly nicer, but not as dark and cold as Vader yet. But then again, she had been a Sith apprentice for three years.

"Is something wrong?" Vader asked.

Shmi looked at him for a moment, deciding that she might as well tell him now. "I got a letter from Cliegg. Two, actually. The second one came yesterday."

"What did he say?"

"He is doing well, and he loves me and misses me."

"Did he say where he lives now?"

"No," Shmi answered. That was true, in a way - Cliegg had not said where _in the Yavin system_ he lived. "There was no return address on either of the letters."

"Tell us if you receive another one," Vader replied. His mother still had no idea that he and Amidala had made Cliegg leave.

Shmi nodded. "I'm going to go eat breakfast. Would you like to come with me?"

"I am taking Amidala somewhere."

"Alright." Shmi hugged her son again, feeling relieved that he was not annoyed with her, then walked back to her house.


	28. Chapter TwentyEight

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Vader decided not to confront Cliegg, since his mother had said nothing that made him suspicious. He did not question her, since he did not want her to continue missing or worrying about her ex-husband. Actually, they were still married, since they had not gotten a divorce, but Vader would take care of that.

During the next two months, Shmi did not get anymore letters from Cliegg.

She guessed that her son or Amidala had killed him, or he had stopped caring. She hoped that neither of those were true, but she said nothing to Vader and Amidala. If she asked about Cliegg, they would probably go back to watching her closely at all times and going everywhere with her. She did not really want to lose their trust, so she just secretly hoped that Cliegg would write her again. Of course, she would have to tell Vader and Amidala if he did, but at least she would know that he was okay, and that he still cared about her.

* * *

One evening, when Shmi came over to eat dinner, Darth Amidala looked at her and said, "We are thinking of moving."

"What?" Shmi asked. "Why?"

Before either of the Sith answered, she already knew what it was - Cliegg. They must have learned that he lived somewhere in the Yavin system. Maybe they had even found his home. Shmi had not mentioned to either of them that he said he lived in the Yavin system, so it was possible that they had found the letters she had saved.

Amidala glanced at Vader, then answered, "There are two houses for sale on Naboo that we noticed when we were there last week. They are beside each other, so you will still have your own house."

Of course, that did not answer Shmi's question at all, but she knew that they if they didn't give her a clear answer, she shouldn't bother them for one.

"What area of Naboo?" she asked.

"The Lake Country," Amidala replied.

"The doctor that Amidala sees on the Executor is going to the base near there," Vader said, "and I prefer for her to be closer to him."

"Since I am due in four months," his apprentice added.

Shmi nodded, now feeling surprisingly positive about this. Perhaps they were lying, but she doubted that they were moving just because of Cliegg.

"I think I will like it," she said. She took a bite of her rice.

Amidala smiled. "Good."

* * *

I know this chapter was really short, please don't be mad! I just wanted to get each of my three current stories (Yours, Next To You, and this) updated. Each is going to have a long chapter next. 


	29. Chapter TwentyNine

**Author's note**: **I'm going to have this story on hiatus for just a couple of weeks**, because there's another story I want to start. My Next To You story is going to be another Padmé-is-Vader's-apprentice, if you want to read that. 

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

The next morning, Darth Vader and Darth Amidala went to the park where Amidala had gone with Erric, their spy. Amidala wanted to get more maternity clothes from a nearby store that she liked, but they decided to walk around in the park's gardens first.

"Master?" she whispered as they approached one of the park's small ponds. "You aren't thinking that living in the Lake Country will...affect me, are you?"

"No, Iam not," he answered. "I did not think I even had to mention that. Are you saying that I should be concerned?"

"No," she said quietly, as a young human couple passed by them.

Vader looked at her for a moment, sensing that she was a little nervous. He waited a few seconds, letting her fear linger, then slid his arms around her. She rested her head against his chest, just before one of the twins gave her a soft kick.

She was about to ask Vader if he had felt it, but before she could, he said, "Look to the right."

Still holding onto him, she looked and saw Obi-wan Kenobi standing near a drink stand, watching them.

He was only twenty or thirty feet away, but since they were in public, Vader and Amidala knew that he would not try to come closer. Amidala did not think he would approach them even if no one else was around. He was no match for the two of them. Amidala thought that she could defeat him by herself - if she wasn't pregnant - but she did not want to be over-confident.

"Master?" she asked.

He did not respond at first. He realized that he had not been aware of Obi-Wan arriving on Yavin Eight. He had changed so much that he no longer recognized Obi-Wan's presence. That pleased him. Perhaps Anakin Skywalker was completely gone.

But, that also meant that Obi-wan could have been here on Yavin Eight for a few days, weeks, or longer, without Vader knowing.

"We will leave for Naboo this afternoon," he told Amidala, letting go of her. He wanted her to defeat Obi-wan with him, and she could not fight intensely while she was five months pregnant.

"Yes, Master," she whispered.

They stayed where they were for now - they were not going to leave the park just because Obi-wan was here. Amidala waved at him. He looked at her and Vader for a second, then turned and began walking toward one of the park's exits.

Once he was gone, Vader and Amidala returned to their speeder and went home.

* * *

Shmi thought the land and two houses that Vader and Amidala had purchased on Naboo were beautiful. They shared a large pond, and there was a nearby landing pad for the ship. Shmi knew that Cliegg would love it here. She was not going to give up on him returning to her, although he would have to find her and come here himself. If she tried anything, Vader and Amidala would find out.

There was a present from her son and daughter-in-law behind her new house, a white speeder. They had actually bought it in case Obi-wan had seen her in her old one, but they did not tell her that.

Vader did not care if Obi-wan had seen Shmi before, though. If he had, he would know that Vader and Amidala had become powerful enough to revive someone.

That night, as Amidala got into bed, she realized that she had not thought about Ollana, Bryann, or her family at all. Briefly, she wondered if her parents were still living on Yavin Five, and if Sola and Darred still lived in Theed.

She forgot about them for now and moved closer to Vader. A minute later, she fell asleep.

* * *

**Author's note**: **I'm going to have this story on hiatus for just a couple of weeks**, because there's another story I want to start. My Next To You story is going to be another Padmé-is-Vader's-apprentice, if you want to read that. 


	30. Chapter Thirty

**Chapter Thirty**

The next morning, Darth Amidala stood on the front porch, looking at the pond. She briefly thought of all the trips that she, Sabé, and Ollana had taken the Lake Country, several times every year, since they were six years old. She felt guilty for just a moment.

_They mostly ignored me that night, when Darth Vader found me_, she remembered. They _didn't care that I left them and went off by myself, at night. None of them even asked where I was going or offered to go with me_.

She closed her eyes for a second, then opened them. That was Padmé Naberrie's life. Padmé was dead.

She turned as the front door opened behind her.

"It is good that we moved here so quickly," Vader said as he came up to her.

"Why?" she asked.

"The doctor at the Yavin One base disappeared yesterday. There is a rumor that he joined the Rebellion."

"Wonderful," Padmé muttered. She didn't go to that doctor often - only when they were not going to be near the _Executor_, where her favorite doctor was. But if he really was a traitor, that meant...

"The Rebels may know that we are expecting twins," Vader said.

His apprentice nodded. The periodicals had already announced that Lady Amidala was pregnant, but not what month she was due, or that she was having a boy and a girl. Only her favorite doctor, Shmi, and Cliegg knew.

"How are we going to find out if the doctor joined them or not?" she asked.

"I have sent Boba Fett after him," Vader answered, sliding his arms around her.

That was a relief. Boba Fett did not work exclusively for the two Sith, but he was the only bounty hunter that they trusted at all. He would never dare to betray them, and he did not like the Rebellion.

"Good," Padmé said softly. She thought for a second. "This can't be that big of a deal. The periodicals are going to announce that we have a son and daughter when they are born, anyway."

"Yes," her master replied, "but until then, I do not want you going anywhere without me. You cannot fight well right now."

"Yes, Master."

For the rest of the morning, they carefully practiced fighting - not too intensely. Shmi, over at her house, wrote a letter to Cliegg, even though she could not actually send it - she did not know his address. This time, she hid the letter in her bedroom closet, inside one of the pockets of her white taun-taun fur coat. She doubted that Amidala or Vader would look through her clothes.

* * *

"Sure it was Shmi Skywalker, are you?" Yoda asked. 

He was with Obi-wan, inside his new house - which was on Dagobah, but over a hundred miles away from his old house's location. It was lightly raining outside, and thunder and lightening had started a few minutes ago.

"Yes. I saw her at a café earlier that morning," Obi-wan answered. He paused. "Perhaps she did not really die - but then again, Anakin could not have lied to anyone. They would have sensed it."

"Revived her, Vader and Amidala must have."

"Revived her? Can they do that?"

"A Sith practice, it is," Yoda replied.

"They could bring back Emperor Palpatine."

"No, they will not. Rulers of the galaxy, they are."

Obi-wan was quiet for a second, then said, "When I saw them, I sensed that Amidala is pregnant. She is having a boy and a girl."

* * *

The next day, Vader and Amidala went to the _Executor_. Amidala's doctor there, her favorite one, was not really moving to the Naboo base - that was just so that Shmi would think that was the reason for moving to Naboo. Vader and Amidala had really wanted to come here just because they had noticed the two houses for sale. 

Boba Fett came to the _Executor_ less than an hour after the two Sith arrived. He was eighteen, although he already had quite a reputation when he turned seventeen. Other bounty hunters might have been uneasy about coming to an Imperial Star Destroyer, but he did not seem to care. Only Darth Vader and Darth Amidala could make him nervous, but anyone who could not sense his feelings wouldn't notice.

He went right to the Siths' chambers - the officers here knew that he was allowed to go there right away.

"Boba Fett," Amidala said as he entered the first chamber - a large, empty room with two doors that led to the other rooms. "What have you learned?"

"The doctor did join the Rebellion," he answered. "I saw him with Mon Mothma and Bail Organa."

Amidala nodded and looked up at her master. He was wearing his armor right now, of course, so she could not see his face, but she sensed that he was pleased. They had been waiting for a chance to have Bail - and his wife - captured, but had wanted more evidence that he was helping the Rebels.

"Bring Organa to us," Vader said.

"We will pay you another fifteen thousand credits when we have him and his wife," Amidala added.

"Yes, My Lady," Fett replied.

He turned and left the room.


	31. Chapter ThirtyOne

**Chapter-Thirty One**

That evening, Darth Vader and Darth Amidala stood on their porch. Across the pond, light peeked out from the between the curtains on one of Shmi's living room windows. Amidala briefly wondered if her mother-in-law was really happy that the Sith had revived her, or would rather be dead again if she couldn't have Cliegg.

She turned her thoughts to a problem she had realized earlier. "Master, when Boba Fett brings the Organas to us, will you want me to talk to them?"

"No," he said, knowing why she was asking. The Organas had been friends with Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie since before Padmé and Sola were born. Vader knew that his apprentice would not be affected by seeing them, but he still wanted to deal with them himself.

"I am afraid," Amidala said as he hugged her.

"Why?"

"The Jedi. I cannot fight well while I'm pregnant, or even for a few weeks after the babies are born. I am afraid of being defenseless."

Vader touched her chin and made her look up at him. "You are a Sith. You are not afraid of anyone, especially not the Jedi."

"Yes, my Master," she said. He probably would have hit her or burned her with a lightsaber if she were not pregnant, and she would understand. She was annoyed with herself for letting the Jedi scare her, even for just a moment.

He let go of her. "Go away."

She went inside, knowing that it was best to just get out of his sight when he told her to, instead of trying to apologize.

He looked at the pond. A small white bird went down to the surface of the water and splashed, then flew away. Vader thought of a conversation that he and his apprentice had once, when she had been his apprentice for almost three months. They were staying on Dantooine for the night. It was night when they landed near a pond. Amidala made a campfire close to the ship, even though most animals would probably not come close.

_"Master, can I ask you something?"_

_"What is it?"_

_Amidala noticed a small stick lying nearby. She tossed it into the fire. "I know that you have not been training me for very long, but I already feel much less afraid of the Jedi. Am I being arrogant?"_

_"No," Vader answered. "Now that you are my apprentice, the remaining Jedi can no longer intimidate or scare you."_

_"Do you think that any of them know you have an apprentice now?"_

_"Perhaps."_

_Amidala hesitated. "Why did the Emperor let you train me? You said that there could only be two Sith."_

_"I do not know for sure. I suspect that he allowed it because if he ever wants to get rid of me, for some reason, he can try to destroy me and then convince you to serve him."_

_"I mean no disrespect to him, Master, but I don't think he could kill you, and I wouldn't want to be his apprentice."_

Vader had been very pleased when she told him that, although he did not say anything. It was the first time she had hinted that she was truly loyal to her master, not just serving him because she had no choice.

A few minutes later, he went inside. Amidala was in their bedroom, sitting in the armchair beside the window, looking at her laptop computer. She glanced at him nervously, but didn't say anything. He stared at her for a moment and concentrated on the twins, sensing that nothing was wrong with them.

"How do you feel?" he asked as he sat down on the bed.

She relaxed, seeing that he was not going to punish her further. "A little tired. Are we going anywhere tonight?"

"No."

Amidala turned the laptop off and left it on the armchair, then went into the closet. Vader wondered why the Emperor had allowed him to train her. He had never found out, since he did not question his master's orders. He also didn't know if the Emperor had been aware that he was secretly searching for someone to train.

He turned his thoughts to Obi-wan. He was pleased that he could no longer recognize the Jedi's presence - he could only sense that there was a Force-strong person somewhere. But that meant Obi-wan could be around without Vader even knowing right away.

He was not worried, though. It was unlikely that either Obi-wan or Yoda would face him - they continued to hide - and neither of them would try to fight him and Amidala.

Amidala came out of the closet, wearing a white nightgown. Vader stood and walked over to her, forgetting about the Jedi fools. He hugged her, and suddenly thought of the dream she had told him about a while ago - the one where they were together, but she was not Force-strong.

_"Master," Amidala asked, "if I really _wasn't_ Force-strong, would you still have married me?"_

_"That makes no sense," he said. "I met you because I was looking for an apprentice, and if you were not Force-strong, I never would have considered you."_

_"What if we met some other way?"_

_"There is no point in thinking about that. Do not act foolish because of a dream you had."_

He knew that he had not answered the question at all, but now that he considered it, he did not love her because she was Force-sensitive.

"Good night," she said as they got into bed. She snuggled next to him and soon fell asleep.


	32. Chapter ThirtyTwo

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

Darth Amidala met Obi-wan's new apprentice a week later, when she, her master, and Shmi were at Cloud City. She and Vader had been very busy during the week, andhe wanted her to rest for a few days.

On the morning of their second day at Cloud City, while Vader was repairing something on their ship, Shmi wanted to go to a nearby drink stand. Amidala went along. Even though she mostly trusted her mother-in-law, she was still cautious. Shmi had hid Cliegg's letters for a little while, before finally telling Vader about them.

"I cannot wait until the babies are born," Shmi said as they walked away from the landing lot. She was not really excited about having a grandson and granddaughter who would be Sith, but she was starting to accept that her son was never going to be good again, and she did not want to be on his bad side.

"Neither can I," Amidala replied.

"When will you start their training?"

"When they are twelve or thirteen."

Shmi nodded. She wondered what Cliegg was doing right now. Amidala sensed that she was upset, but said nothing.

* * *

When they reached the drink stand, Shmi ordered hot tea. She was saddened more by the human man as he took her five credits. He was around her age and looked a little like Cliegg. She closed her eyes for a second to keep herself from crying. 

Amidala noticed a Force-sensitive human girl, standing not far away, wearing a sleeveless white shirt and dark brown pants. Her black hair went a few inches past her shoulders, and her eyes were either blue or green; Amidala was not close enough to tell. The girl mainly caught her eye because she liked her shirt, but then she realized that the girl had been looking at her - watching her, actually.

Not only that, but she was very, very scared. Amidala did not see anything frightening around, and then she understood what it was - the girl knew who she was. She recognized Darth Amidala without a cloak and a cloth covering part of her face.

To test her, Amidala hid her presence, then walked a few feet away. The girl followed her with her eyes. She could still see the Sith Lady. That meant she had been trained.

Sheturned and quickly went to the nearby row of stores. Amidala noticed Shmi looking around for her, so she made herself visible again and walked back over to her.

* * *

Vader was sitting in the cockpit, waiting, when they returned. Amidala sat down in her seat, next to his, and told him everything. Shmi listened, already feeling sorry for the girl, whoever she was. 

"Did you see where she went?" Vader asked.

"No, Master," said Amidala. "I wanted to get back to the ship quickly."

Normally, her master would have been angry with her for notfinding outmore before leaving, but since she was pregnant, he knew that she wanted to avoid fighting.

"Maybe she was afraid of something else," Shmi tried.

"I don't know what that could be. She was terrified when I looked at her," Amidala replied.

"But there could be something else bothering her," her mother-in-law replied, "and maybe she didn't know that she was looking in your direction after you hid..."

"She is Obi-wan's apprentice," Vader interrupted.

Amidala looked at him. "What?"

"Boba Fett told me about her a few days ago," he said. "He saw her and Obi-wan on Tattooine."

"What is her name?"

"Allison. Fett did not hear her last name."

"I do not mean to be pushy, Master," Amidala said, "but if we left now, we could catch her before she gets too far away or leaves Cloud City."

Shmi did not want tohear anymore. She went to the back of the ship.

"We will deal with her when we return home," Vader said. "We are going to Imperial Center."

Amidala nodded and turned her chair to the ship's dashboard.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter, the next one _will_ be long. 


	33. Chapter ThirtyThree

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

On the way to Imperial Center, Darth Vader told his apprentice more of what Boba Fett had reported to him about Allison. She had been a Padawan for eighteen months. She was a native of Alderaan, but she and her parents moved to Ord Mantell five years before Obi-wan found her. Boba Fett had learned this from listening to her and her master's conversation as they walked around in Mos Espa.

Vader had not wanted to mention her until after the babies were born, so that Darth Amidala could relax during the rest of her pregnancy. But now she was excited, perhaps because she could have an opponent that who was also a girl, and just a year older than her. Ollana had been her age, but had not been a real Jedi apprentice.

"Master," she said, "if we went back to Cloud City, they might still be there, and we could at least get rid of one of them..."

"You are not fighting until after the twins are born," he interrupted.

"Yes, Master," she replied, knowing that she shouldn't say anything else.

She sensed that he was annoyed. She was not sure if it was because of her, but just in case, she decided to go to the back of the ship for a little while.

* * *

She went inside the bedroom, where Shmi was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking as if she had just been crying.

Amidala sat down beside her. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"Think for a moment."

"Is it Cliegg?" Amidala asked patiently.

"Yes," Shmi said. "I'm sorry. I know that you and Vader don't like him, but I still can't understand why he just left. He didn't even care about making the two of you angry."

"I was surprised, too," Amidala lied. She was not going to reveal that she and Vader had made Cliegg leave.

"I am sure you could have found him."

"Perhaps, but who knows where he is now."

"Couldn't you send one of your spies to look for him?" Shmi asked.

"They are all busy," said Amidala. "We have Rebels and other people to look for. I know that you are upset, but you really should accept that he is not coming back."

For just a second, she felt bad for saying that, knowing that she and Vader could probably find Cliegg within a few days. But this was not entirely their fault. Cliegg had made it clear that he was not going to cooperate with them - even thought they were the ones who had brought his wife back from the dead.

"Maybe you are right," Shmi muttered.

Amidala knew she did not mean that, but patted her shoulder anyway.

"We will be at Imperial Center in about an hour," she said.

She stood up and left the room. Shmi followed her.

* * *

Amidala approached her master's chair. She hesitated, then rested her hands on his shoulders. When she leaned down to kiss his cheek, he turned and briefly kissed her lips. She relaxed, sensing that he was in a better mood now. Something else must have been irritating him, not her.

Shmi sat down in the third chair, behind the front two. She was annoyed with the two Sith. She understood how finding Cliegg was not a big priority, when they had Rebels to look for, but she still felt as if something else were going on. As much as it hurt to admit it, she could not completely trust them.

Amidala sat down in the seat beside Vader's again. "Which base are we going to, Master?"

"Neither," he answered. "We are staying for the night."

Amidala looked at Shmi for a moment, sensing her bitter attitude, but said nothing.

* * *

When they arrived on Imperial Center, they got a room in an expensive hotel. Amidala told Shmi that she could stay in the bedroom. She said that she wanted to take a nap and went inside.

"What did she say to you on the ship?" Vader asked Amidala.

"She misses Cliegg," she answered. She closed the long white curtains over the glass doors that opened to the balcony.

"That is no surprise."

Amidala hesitated. "Master, could we have him captured, just to make her happy? He does know some secrets about us, and now he is free."

She expected Vader to be annoyed, but he actually thought she made a good point. There was a chance that Cliegg had met the Rebels, or the remaining Jedi. The Rebels might not believe him if he claimed that he was Vader's mother's ex-husband, but Obi-wan or one of the other Jedi would sense that he was telling the truth.

"I will consider it," Vader said.


	34. Chapter ThirtyFour

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

Obi-wan arrived on Cloud City two hours after Darth Vader, Darth Amidala, and Shmi left. After seeing Amidala, Allison had hurried to the shopping plaza where she and her master had decided to meet.

While waiting for him, she had stayed close to the large fountain in the middle of the plaza, knowing that Amidala was not going to come up to her and kill her in public. After half-an-hour went by and she didn't see the Sith Lady anywhere, she guessed that Amidala had decided not to follow her for some reason. She did not relax, though.

Right now, she and Obi-wan were eating dinner in the kitchen of their two-bedroom apartment. It was on Ord Mantell, but almost a hundred miles from the city where Allison had lived before her master met her. Since her old home was so far away, Obi-wan did not worry about her being affected.

"I wonder why she didn't follow me. She could have at least found out where I was going," Allison said. She ate some of her dark green noodles, covered in a yellow sauce. She was an excellent cook. She was going to a culinary school when her master discovered her.

"She is pregnant," Obi-wan said. "She probably wanted to avoid getting into any trouble. Vader was not there to protect her."

"How pregnant is she?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't think she is due anytime soon."

"How long has she been Vader's apprentice?"

"I first saw her three years ago."

"Wow. That's twice as long as I've been with you," Allison said.

"That doesn't mean anything," Obi-wan told her. "Don't let her intimidate you."

Allison just nodded. She always thought it was easy for her master to say things like that, but he did not know what it was like to be in her place.

"How old is she?" she asked.

"Eighteen," Obi-wan answered. "And don't let her use that, either."

"What do you mean?"

"You're twenty. That's close to her age. She may try being nice to you, but you will sense when she is lying about anything, of course."

"Yeah," Allison said quietly. Sometimes she wished that there was another Jedi apprentice around her age. Obi-wan was a good friend, but he was forty-four - two years older than Allison's father.

She wondered what he would do if she found a Force-strong girl around her age. He had never said that it was against the rules to have two apprentices. It used to be, in the old Jedi Order, but there had also been a rule that no one older than three could become a Padawan - and Allison had started when she was eighteen-and-a-half.

Obi-wan sensed his apprentice's glum mood, but he guessed that she was worried about the Sith, so he did not say anything.

* * *

Boba Fett captured Cliegg Lars after just three days. He took the man to the _Executor_. Vader and Amidala were not there at the moment, but Cliegg's name was on a list of people that were personally wanted by the two Sith, so he was taken to a prisoner cell. 

That night, Cliegg stretched out on the cushioned bench that was built into one wall of the cell. There was a chrono on the opposite wall, so he knew that he had been brought here around noon. It was now nine-thirty.

He was not really surprised that he had been captured. His guess was that Vader and Amidala knew about his letters to Shmi. Maybe she had even told them. He had no idea what she was like now. Maybe she had stopped loving him. Maybe she was with someone else now. Her son and Amidala certainly knew plenty of Imperial officers and rich men that they could set her up with.

They would probably come here tomorrow. He sighed. Almost an hour later, he finally fell asleep.


	35. Chapter ThirtyFive

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

As Cliegg had guessed, Darth Vader and Darth Amidala came to his cell the next afternoon. Amidala looked a little tired. Once Cliegg stood up, she went over to the padded bench and sat down.

"What is this about?" Cliegg asked them.

"To take you home," Amidala said.

"Good. Now I can finally tell Shmi that you _made me_ leave."

"If you do, we will kill you," said Vader.

Cliegg hesitated. If they really were going to take him to his wife, then he did not want to make them angry. They probably would not have had him captured if Shmi did not care about him.

"What changed your mind?" he asked in a more polite tone.

"Shmi misses you," Amidala answered.

"So the two of you finally care about her feelings?"

"We do what we think is best for her."

"Then you should know that being with me is what she really wanted," Cliegg said. He looked at Vader. "This is really about you hating me, because I married Shmi after you left and gave her a much better life..."

He stopped when he felt his throat close up, and grasped his neck. Neither of the two Sith were pointing at him, so he was not sure who was choking him, but it was most likely Vader. Or maybe it was Amidala. She probably did not tolerate anyone being so disrespectful to her master.

After a few seconds, whichever one was doing it released him. He went over to the bench and sat down.

"You are lucky that my master is being so nice," Amidala said softly. "If you do not cooperate with us this time, we will kill you, and Shmi will never know that it was us."

Cliegg was sure that if that happened, his wife would suspect them, but he did not say that aloud.

"Alright," he said.

* * *

Allison was in her room, sitting on the bed. One thing she missed from her old life was her room and everything in it. She knew that being a Jedi, she was not supposed to focus on possessions, but she had never really felt at home here - or at any other place where she and Obi-wan had lived. Since they might have to move at any time, she was never able to personalize any room and make it her own space. 

They had lived in this apartment for almost eight months, though. She considered asking her master if she could just paint the walls and get some new curtains, instead of the bland white ones that had come with the apartment. Maybe he would say yes if she offered to do his room, too.

Her comlink beeped. She looked over at the desk - which had also come with the apartment - scared. Only Obi-wan had her number, and he was here. He would not be calling her.

It kept beeping. She hesitated, then went over to the desk and picked it up.

As she turned it on, Obi-wan came into the doorway. She had left the door open, so he had heard the beeping as he was coming out of his room.

"Hello," she said. She glanced at her master.

"Is Jeena there?" asked a male, with an accent similar to Obi-wan's.

"You have the wrong number."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Allison replied, feeling relieved. She turned the comlink off and set it down on the desk again. "Master, would you mind if I went to the store now?"

"I'll go with you," Obi-wan said.

* * *

Shmi was watching a movie when she heard a buzz from her front door. She went over to one of the windows and peeked through the curtains. She always did that, just to make sure that it was Vader or Amidala. 

When she saw that it was Cliegg - alone - she froze, wondering what to do. He had somehow found out where she lived now. She wanted to see him, but Vader and Amidala would be angry if they found out that he was here.

_I will tell them_, she decided.

She opened the door and hugged her husband, without saying anything. Looking over his shoulder, across the pond, she could see that the two Sith were outside on their front porch.

Cliegg kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry. I just panicked and left. I know how selfish that was."

He hated saying that, and badly wanted to tell her what had really happened, but he had no choice.

"I forgive you," she said. She sighed. "Vader and Amidala are probably going to..."

"They had me captured. They told me that I could come back if I cooperate with them this time, and I will."

Shmi was touched. She glanced down at the prosthetic part of his leg, knowing that he probably would have had to save for a couple of years if his stepson and Amidala had not gotten it, back when they first captured him after reviving Shmi.

"Let's go inside and make something to eat," she said. "You must be hungry."

"I'm starving."


	36. Chapter ThirtySix

xSiTHxHAPPENSx: You've already left me another review saying that you think this story is boring. I get it. I'm not trying to be rude, just letting you know that I've read both of them and I know that you don't like the story. Thanks for the feedback. 

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

Allison thought that Obi-wan was acting strange at breakfast the next morning, when she asked him about painting her room. He said yes and gave her two one-hundred-credit cards. She stared at him, surprised. They could not really afford to use two hundred credits on decorations.

"What's wrong, Master?" she asked. She ate the last bite of her eggs.

"Nothing," he said. Even though she sensed that something was bothering him, his answer meant that he was not going to discuss it with her.

She sometimes hated it when he did not include her in his plans or whatever was going on. She was twenty years old, not ten, and she thought she had been an apprentice long enough for him to share everything with her. But she was not going to argue with him.

"Can I go, Master?" she asked him.

"Alright," he replied quietly.

"Do you want to come with me?"

"No."

Feeling a little annoyed, Allison stood up and left without saying anything else. Whatever it was, he obviously wanted to deal with it himself, so she would let him.

* * *

"It is not smart to attack your opponent instantly," Vader said, "without thinking." 

Amidala nodded. She turned her training saber off.

They were downstairs, in their house's empty basement. Vader wanted his apprentice to practice in different kinds of situations. They had carefully fought for half-an-hour, which was all that he would let her do while she was pregnant.

He turned his saber on again. Amidala quickly activated hers and held it out, ready.

"Very good," he told her. He turned his off again, really done this time.

Amidala was quiet, thinking of one time - she had been his apprentice for about three months - when he turned his saber on without saying anything and quickly slashed at her. Luckily, she jumped just out of reach of the blade. If she hadn't, the training saber would have left a painful burn on her stomach.

She noticed that Vader was waiting for her. She walked over to him and followed him upstairs.

* * *

A few minutes later, Cliegg, standing on the front porch, saw Vader and Amidala come out of their house. He relaxed when they went behind their house, toward the landing pad where their ship was. 

"Where are they going?" he asked Shmi.

"To the Executor, I think, to see Amidala's doctor," she answered. She was behind him, sitting on one of the benches.

For a moment, he was tempted to tell her about Vader and Amidala making him leave, while the two Sith were far away. But he wanted to make them like him at least a little, since there was one other thing that had been on his mind.

"Did they let you talk to Beru and Owen while I was away?" he asked.

"No," Shmi replied. "I never asked. I thought they would say no. Did you ever contact them?"

"I wrote them a few letters."

"Did you explain about...me being back?"

"No. I couldn't explain without telling them that Vader and Amidala revived you," Cliegg answered, "and they probably wouldn't believe any of it."

"I agree. At least they know that you are alright," said Shmi. She paused. "I wish I could see them again, though."

"There's no chance of that. Vader hates Owen and Beru and me. He wants to keep you away from your other family."

Shmi was quiet for a moment. "I always thought of all of us as a family. You knew when you married me that I was expecting Anakin to come back one day."

"I know," Cliegg said.


	37. Chapter ThirtySeven

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

Darth Amidala's favorite doctor, Dr. Carrson, was the only person on the _Executor_ who saw her without a cloak and a cloth covering part of her face. She had a soft spot for him. He always managed to be calm and talk easily, even when Vader stayed in the room and watched, which was almost always. From reading the files on him, she knew that he was forty years old, married, with two sons.

He had started to like her in a father-daughter way. Maybe it was because he had no daughters, or because she was now his only patient. Four-and-a-half months ago, Darth Vader had decided that he was going to be Amidala's personal doctor. Since then, he was home with his wife and sons at least three days a week. He was happy.

Today, Vader had gone to the command area, while Amidala was here in her private medical room, so that Carrson could give her a check-up and tell her what the babies' genders were. Of course, she and Vader already knew, but she wanted to let Carrson tell her anyway. He seemed to have gotten attached to the twins.

"A boy and a girl," he said, "and they seem to be fine so far."

"Good," Amidala replied, pulling the hood of her cloak over her head.

"Anything else, My Lady?"

"No. Go home."

"Thank you, My Lady," Carrson said.

He left the room. Amidala stayed, since Vader was going to come here once he was done in the command area.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and Allison came inside.

Behind her were two men with blonde hair, who were probably in their twenties and seemed to be identical twins, except that one had a short haircut. The other's hair was longer, almost touching his shoulders.

All three of them had blasters. Amidala recognized the brand and knew that they only stunned; they had no kill setting. She also realized that she was in trouble. She could block blaster bolts, but not three coming at her at once, from three different directions.

Still, she tried. The man with the longer hair shot at her first, and she blocked the bolt. Then Allison and the other man both shot at her, almost in unison. One bolt went hit her shoulder, and the other hit her leg.

Her eyes closed. She was still sitting on the examination table, so the man with the shorter hair quickly dashed foward and caught her before she felt to the floor.

"Can you carry her, Ryan?" Allison asked.

"Yes," he answered, lifting her from the table.

"Come on," said Rich, the man with the longer hair. "It has to take Vader at least three or four minutes to walk from the command center to here, but he could already be on his way."

"Is she going to be okay?" Allison asked. "She was hit with two bolts."

"Yes," Ryan answered. "She'll be out for two hours. We can get to Ord Mantell before then."

* * *

Half-an-hour went by before anyone knew that Amidala was gone. 

Vader came to the room and saw that she wasn't there. Already, he thought that something might be wrong. He had told Amidala to wait here until he came back from the command area, and she never disobeyed any of his orders.

In case she had just forgotten, he went to their private quarters. She was not in any of the rooms. He waited a few minutes, in case she was on her way here now, but she did not show up.

When he returned to her medical room, a man from the maintenance crew was there, testing the air conditioning and heating. When he heard Vader's breathing, he turned around and took a few steps back.

"My Lord," he said nervously, bowing.

"Where is Dr. Carrson?" Vader asked.

"I believe he left a little while ago, sir."

"Have you seen Amidala?"

"No, sir," the man answered.

Vader left and headed back to the command area. On the way there, he thought of calling Amidala's comlink, but then he remembered that they had left both of their comlinks at the house.

* * *

Every department of the _Executor_ was alerted, and everyone looked in every room, closet, each refresher, and in every shuttle that was currently here. 

Vader himself looked in the private quarters again, looking in the refresher and each room's closet this time. He also checked the egg-shaped chamber where he went whenever he wanted to take his mask off for a few minutes.

He tried to mentally connect with Amidala three times, but she did not respond.

He already suspected Obi-wan and Allison. He was sure that now, after running into Obi-wan again, he could recognize the Jedi master's presence. But Allison alone could probably come here, and neither Vader nor Amidala would recognize her. They were not that familiar with her.

There were four men here who had strong potential in the Force, but most likely did not know it. Since two of them were in the maintenance crew and sometimes went back and forth on shuttles, Vader and Amidala would usually assume it was one of them whenever they sensed a Force-strong person arriving.

Allison probably could have come here without the two Sith knowing. Or it could have been a few Rebel spies, but Vader doubted it. Amidala was a little weakened right now, being five months pregnant, but she could still use her lightsaber - and Force techniques - enough to defend herself against a small group of Rebels.

As Vader stood in the empty area that had doors to the other rooms, he realized one thing - he had not sensed that Amidala was in any pain.

An hour after the search was started, he decided to return to Naboo. He wanted to get his comlink, and take his armor off so that he could search for his apprentice himself, without anyone recognizing who he was.

* * *

When Amidala woke up, she was in Allison's room, laying on the bed. Her cloak and the cloth that covered the lower half of her face had been removed and were on the end of the bed. 

Allison was sitting at her desk, writing in a small white notebook. She hadn't painted the room's walls, but had purchased green blankets and pillow cases, white curtains that were printed with flowers, and a few posters that showed nature scenes from Naboo, Ord Mantell, and Yavin Eight. The next time she and Obi-wan moved, she could pack everything up quickly.

When she looked and saw that Amidala was awake now, she closed the notebook and put it inside one of the desk's side drawers.

"Where am I?" Amidala asked.

"Me and Obi-wan's apartment," Allison answered. Then she lowered her voice to a whisper."Please don't tell him you saw that."

"What you were writing in?"

"Yes. It's my diary. I don't think he knows that I have one."

"Why should I do anything for you?" Amidala snapped. "And what planet is this?"

"You know I can't tell you that."

Amidala sighed. She closed her eyes, which made a tear slide out. She knew that if her master asked her about this later, he might punish her for crying instead of looking for a way out of this situation, but she wasn't worried about that. She just wanted him to find her.

Allison stood up and went to the door. She opened it a little and called, "Master?"

Obi-wan came inside. Amidala wiped her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Allison asked her.

"What do you think?"

Obi-wan waited a moment, then asked, "When are you due, Amidala?"

"I'm not telling you," she said. She looked at Allison. "Who were those two men that were with you?"

Obi-wan decided that there was no harm in answering that. "Ryan and Rich. They spy for Yoda and I. Allison, can I talk to you alone?"

"Yes, Master," she said. She followed him out to the hallway, locking the door behind her.

* * *

Amidala slowly stood up and checked herself. She didn't feel any aches or pains anywhere. She picked up her cloak. Of course, her lightsaber was no longer in the inside pocket. 

Then she sat down on the bed again and closed her eyes, mentally reaching for Vader. He connected with her instantly.

_Master_, she said.

_Where are you?_ he asked. _You did not respond to me earlier_.

_I was stunned. I just woke up,_ she answered, wanting to give him as many details as she could before the two Jedi returned. _Allison and two of her and Obi-wan's spies captured me. Ryan and Rich. I don't know their last name. They're humans, with blonde hair, and they're twins_.

_Where did they take you?_

_To Allison and Obi-wan's apartment. I don't know what planet. I will talk to you tonight_.

* * *

"I'm going to go meet with Ryan and Rich," Obi-wan whispered. "I also have a couple of errands to run." 

"You want me to stay with Amidala?" Allison asked.

"She doesn't have her lightsaber. You should be fine for an hour or two."

"Okay," Allison said, realizing that she needed to show him that she could handle this. In a more confident tone, she added, "Maybe I can learn something. She might feel better talking to me."

"Maybe. And do _not_ let her out of your room," Obi-wan added. "If she's hungry or thirsty, bring something to her, and lock the door every time you leave."

"Yes, Master."

* * *

When Allison came back, Amidala was still sitting on the bed, and was crying again. She didn't even seem to care if the Jedi apprentice saw. 

Allison walked over to the window and peeked through the curtains, looking down at the ground below. There were no nearby trees that Amidala could use to escape, and she was not going to try to get out of a second-floor window while she was pregnant, anyway.

She wiped her face, then said, "You want to take the babies."

"I guess so," Allison replied. "My master didn't say that, but I can't think of any other reason why he would want to capture you."

"And once they are born, you will kill me."

"I don't know. If you escape, Vader is probably going to be mad at you for getting caught, isn't he?"

"You should be worrying about how mad he is at _you_," Amidala answered.

Allison was quiet for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"How long have you and your master been together...as a couple?"

"Why?"

"I'm just curious. Obi-wan didn't tell me to ask," said Allison.

Amidala sensed that the Jedi apprentice was telling the truth, so she decided to answer. Besides, a little bonding might be useful. As long as she was here, she needed to get some information to report to Vader.

She missed him so much.

"One night, earlier this year," she started, "we were following two girls named Kalie and Syranna, and they went to a party. No one recognizes my master without his armor, of course, and I was pretending to be his girlfriend. I did that often, and he sometimes kissed my cheek or my forehead, and put his arm around me, just to keep up our act."

"But it was different that night?" Allison asked.

"While we were sitting inside, a girl asked if he was really my boyfriend. She said that we weren't even kissing or anything. So, I looked at my master and he kissed me. I knew he was doing it for our disguise, and I tried not to get excited about it. But it was my first kiss."

"And that was when you started liking each other?"

"No." Amidala paused. "He did not like me. We kept pretending to be a couple while we were following Syranna and Kalie, and one night, we slept together. He told me that he was just using me, and that I shouldn't confuse our...physical involvement with real emotions. But I still loved him."

So far, Allison had sensed that the Sith Lady was being honest about everything. "What happened next?"

"I kept doing the best I could at everything," she answered. "I wanted to impress him and show that my love for him was not getting in the way of my training. One day - the day he killed the Emperor - he told me that we were going to get married, but did not say why..."

Amidala stopped for a moment. Her eyes were wet again. She sniffled.

"...then, when I was about two weeks pregnant, he told me that he already loved me. He had somehow been able to conceal his feelings, and he had been testing me to see if I could detect them. He said that he went ahead and told me because I would have discovered his emotions soon anyway."

"Was he mad that you didn't detect anything before?" Allison asked.

"No," Amidala said. "Can I use your refresher?"

"Yes, but there's nothing in there that you can use to attack me with."

* * *

Allison remembered what Obi-wan had said, about the two girls being close in age, and how Amidala might try to act friendly. But she did not seem to be doing that right now. She had other things to worry about - Yoda and Obi-wan wanted to steal her babies, and her master might be angry at her for letting herself be captured. 

_Steal her babies? My master and Yoda are rescuing them_, Allison told herself. _But from her point of view, yes, they are stealing them_.

She sighed. She was going to show Obi-wan that she could handle watching Amidala. Once he came home and saw that everything was fine, maybe he would start giving her more interesting assignments and including her in all of his and Yoda's plans.

_And I am not going to be fooled just because Amidala shared a story with me_.

But, Amidala was very worried and stressed right now, and that was not good for the twins she was carrying. And being in charge of the situation meant that Allison had to do what was best for everyone.

* * *

When Amidala came out of the refresher, Allison said she would be right back. She left the room, locking the door behind her. 

A moment later, she returned with a dark brown cloak, which she had left in the living room area earlier.

"I want to take you home," she said.

Amidala looked at her. "Why?"

"I feel like this is wrong," she answered. "Keeping you here and then taking your babies in a few months, when you are defenseless."

Amidala wanted to say that she did _not_ need Allison's help - either Vader would find her, or she would somehow escape on her own. But she sensed that Allison was being honest, and right now, this was her best chance to leave. When they arrived on Naboo, she would go to the Imperial base, so thatthe Jediwould not see where her and Vader's house was.

"Naboo or Imperial Center," she said.

"Okay," Allison replied. "Even if there isn't one going to Naboo or Coruscant..."

"_Imperial Center_."

"...or Imperial Center, we can at least leave the planet before Obi-wan comes back. I will give you your lightsaber later, but in a public place, so that you won't attack me."

Amidala smiled. "You are going to be in a lot of trouble with your master."

"I know," Allison said. _And I'm doing this for a Sith. After I've done what she wants, she probably won't care that I helped her_.

Of course, she wasn't just helping Amidala. This was an opportunity to spy and find out some things, such as where the two Sith lived. Maybe Obi-wan would be pleased, and less angry, if she had a good report for him when she came home.


	38. Chapter ThirtyEight

**A mistake (please read):** At the end of the previous chapter, when Allison says "Even if there isn't one going to Naboo...", she's referring to the transport ships, which aren't mentioned anywhere in the conversation. I tried to fix this earlier, but the document manager was being weird, so I just made this note here. 

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

The transport station was only a few blocks away. Allison and Darth Amidala walked there. There was a ship leaving for Naboo in less than an hour. They both concealed their presence and boarded, unseen, without getting tickets. As always, Allison felt bad about not paying, but she and Amidala needed to get on as quickly as possible.

"My master is going to be so angry," Allison said softly as they walked into the dining area.

Amidala did not care if she was having second thoughts. Allison could not make her go back to the apartment now, and she would not try to take a hostage here, in a dining area with at least fifteen other people watching. Of course, the Jedi still had Amidala's lightsaber, but she would make a new one to replace it, and she had her extra lightsaber at home.

"Then why are you doing this for me?" she asked.

"I told you," Allison said, "I feel like it's wrong to hold you as a prisoner and steal your babies when you are defenseless."

Amidala did not try to get more details. The two of them sat down at a table. There were a couple of snack bars on one side of the room, but neither of them were hungry at the moment.

"So," Allison whispered, to keep their conversation quiet, "this transport is going to Theed."

"Good," Amidala replied. Darth Vader would certainly feel her presence. The part of the Lake Country that they lived in was less than fifty miles from Theed.

"Is that where you live?"

"No."

Allison knew that she was not going to get an answer if she asked where exactly Amidala and Vader lived, but Amidala was pleased to hear that they were going to Naboo's capital. Maybe they lived near there.

"One of my cousins lives there," she said, "unless he's moved since I last talked to him."

At first, Amidala acted as if she didn't care, but she remembered that this was a chance to find out more about the Jedi.

"Are you going to go see him?" she asked.

"Maybe," Allison answered. "Then he could tell my parents that he saw me and that I'm fine."

"Do your parents know about Obi-wan?"

"No. I didn't want to explain everything about Jedi to them, so I said that I was joining the Rebellion. They were angry. I haven't talked to them since then."

"What were you doing before?"

"Going to a culinary school," said Allison. She paused. "My teacher knew a chef at Jabba the Hutt's palace, and she sent a few of my dishes there. Jabba really liked them and wanted me to come to his kitchen."

"Why did you choose Obi-wan?" Amidala asked. She glanced at a blonde-haired human man, sitting down at a table near the center of the room. He reminded her of Vader, even though he wasn't as tall.

"It was right thing to do."

"But was it what you _wanted_ to do? It's not right if your heart isn't in it."

"Hey, I know what you're trying to do," Allison said. "Don't think you can manipulate me."

_Smart girl_, Amidala thought. She decided to change the subject for now. "You should go see your cousin."

"I hope you aren't thinking of coming after me."

"I am not," Amidala said. She was being honest right now, but her master might decide that he wanted to follow the Jedi apprentice.

Allison got up and went to the snack bar to get a drink.

-----

Vader was at home, standing on the front porch, when he felt Amidala trying to mentally reach him.

_We are on our way to Theed, my Master_, she said.

Then she closed their connection before he could reply. He left the porch and went to the garage to get one of their speeders.

As he rode away, he noticed that his apprentice had said "we", but had not mentioned who was with her. Probably both of the Jedi. It was unlikely that Obi-wan would let Allison take Amidala anywhere, unless those two spies, Rich and Ryan, were going with them.

Vader's anger rose in him again. He was not going to leave his wife-apprentice alone again - not even at a base or on one of the Star Destroyers - until after she had the twins and could fight again. He also had to find out how Allison and the spies had gotten onto the _Executor_, and have Ryan and Rich added to the list of people that were wanted by him and Amidala. Perhaps he would send Boba Fett after them.

But he would deal with all of that later, after his apprentice was with him again. She was all he cared about right now. If he did not have a chance to kill Obi-wan or Allison today, he and Amidala would track them down later.

-----

"When we arrive in Theed, we will go to a park that I like," Amidala said. "It's sunny today, so a lot of people will be there."

"Alright," Allison agreed. On her lap was the Sith Lady's folded-up cloak, with the lightsaber hidden inside.

"What are you going to tell Obi-wan?"

"What I told you. I thought this was unfair."

"I doubt that you are allowed to make a decision like this."

"No," Allison murmured. "But when I am in charge of my own apprentice one day, I will have to do what I think is best for everyone."

Amidala smiled. "I doubt that your master will think that is an excuse for letting me go. You might as well quit and not go back to him."

"He and Yoda won't banish me. They need me."

-----

When Vader reached Theed, he went to a luxurious hotel near the transport station. He went inside and got a room. He and Amidala would stay here for a few nights, until Obi-wan and Allison left, so that the two Jedi would not try to follow them and see where their house was.

While he was waiting to feel his apprentice's presence, he went to the jewelry store next to the hotel and bought a pin for her, a gold bantha that cost five hundred credits.

As he left, he saw Sabé, Padmé Naberrie's old friend, parking her speeder. She looked at him for a second, but did not say anything or try to approach him. After he was unfriendly to her in the tavern that night, she had probably given up on trying to talk to him and Amidala.

-----

When the transport reached Theed, Amidala considered dumping Allison now and going somewhere by herself, like the park she had mentioned or a theater, and mentally telling her master where she was. But he would be angry if she lost the Jedi apprentice, so she decided to stay for now.

As soon as they left the ship, they saw Vader waiting for them.

Allison stayed where she was as Amidala walked over to him. She knew that it would probably be best to leave now, but she had said that she would return Amidala's lightsaber, and she needed to get some information about the two Sith to report to Obi-wan.

_I'm no better than they are_, she thought. _I've brought her back home, but I'm also using this as an opportunity to spy on them_.

But she was also thinking of her cousin who lived here. She might as well visit him, since she was already going to be in enough trouble with Obi-wan.

-----

"I apologize, Master," Amidala whispered as she hugged him tightly.

"I should not have left you alone," he said, glancing at Allison, who was still watching them. "We will discuss it later."

Allison finally approached them. She barely looked at Vader and handed Amidala the folded cloak, with the lightsaber inside. Then she started to walk away.

"Where are you going to go?" Amidala asked her.

"To see my cousin," she answered. "If you follow me, please don't hurt him."

Vader let her go - for now - because he was more concerned about making sure that Amidala was alright. He placed his hand on her stomach, and after a moment, one of the twins kicked. They seemed to be fine. He would have sensed if something was wrong.

"I'm starving," Amidala said. "I haven't eaten anything. Can we go somewhere?"

"Yes," he replied.

She held onto his arm, and they walked to the parking area where he had left the speeder.

---------

**A mistake (please read):** At the end of the previous chapter, when Allison says "Even if there isn't one going to Naboo...", she's referring to the transport ships, which aren't mentioned anywhere in the conversation. I tried to fix this earlier, but the document manager was being weird, so I just made this note here.


	39. Chapter ThirtyNine

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

Allison did not get to visit her cousin. When she found his house, she saw that a Zabrak family lived there now. They did not know where he had moved to.

She decided to go ahead and talk to Obi-wan, instead of putting it off. She had not gotten any good information on the Sith to report to him, as she had wanted to do, but she needed to go ahead and tell him what had happened.

She turned her comlink on as she started walking through the nice neighborhood, back to a nearby shopping plaza that she had come through earlier. Her feet were starting to hurt.

"Master," she said when Obi-wan answered.

"Where are you? Where is Amidala?"

"We left. I wanted to take her home."

"What?"

"Master," Allison explained, "she was very depressed and upset. And it was unfair for us to capture her the way we did, when she's vulnerable. She's pregnant and can't fight well right now..."

"You felt bad because she was upset?" Obi-wan asked loudly. "What about the people who are upset because of things that she and Vader have done?"

Allison hesitated, then told him, "And I think they live here, Master. Amidala said..."

"Come home, Allison," he interrupted, in a softer tone, without even asking where "here" was.

"Yes, Master," she replied.

-----

Amidala was sitting in one of the armchairs in the hotel room. Vader had told her that they were staying here for a few nights, so that Allison would not see where their house was if she was following them.

"I can't believe she wanted to let me go," Amidala asked.

"She is foolish," Vader said. He stood behind the chair and gently rubbed his apprentice's shoulders. "She let her feelings get in the way."

"What do you mean, Master?"

"She felt bad and decided to take you home. That was not wise. If she had kept you, she could have prevented you from causing trouble later on."

Amidala hesitated, then said, "But we let her go at the transport station."

"We were in a public place. Threatening her there would have made a scene."

"That's true. I found out that she was going to culinary school before she joined Obi-wan. Jabba the Hutt wanted her to work in his kitchen."

Vader stopped rubbing Amidala's shoulders and stroked her neck. "Did you learn anything about her family?"

"Yes," she answered. "She did not want to explain everything about the Jedi to them, so she said that she was joining the Rebellion, and they were not pleased."

They went to bed, since Amidala was very tired. She lay close to Vader and fell asleep in a few minutes.

-----

It was night when Allison came home. She had used a mind trick to get a ticket at the transport station, and had to wait two hours for the ship that was going to Ord Mantell.

Obi-wan was waiting for her at the station. They were both silent as they walked back to their apartment. Allison almost told him that she thought Darth Vader and Darth Amidala lived on Naboo, but she decided not to say anything until he wanted to talk.

When they reached the apartment, Allison went to the kitchen and got a glass of water. She was a little hungry - she had only gotten a small cup of soup on the transport ship's dining area - but she really wanted to go hide in her room for the rest of the night.

"I'm going to bed," she said quietly.

"I want to talk to you," Obi-wan said. He paused. "You are my apprentice, Allison. I know you thought you were doing what was best, but you have not even been a Padawan for two years. You cannot make decisions like that yet."

"But what we did was wrong, wasn't it? Amidala was defenseless..."

"She was not defenseless. She had her lightsaber, so she was not unarmed, and I am sure she can still fight well if she has to, even if she is halfway through her pregnancy. If only Ryan and Rich had gone to capture her, she probably would have killed them."

"I know, but..."

"Allison," Obi-wan interrupted. "I contacted Yoda earlier."

"And?"

"We decided that it would be best for you to leave the Jedi."

"What?" Allison asked. "I make one mistake, and you're quitting?"

"It's not that," Obi-wan said. "When you felt bad for Amidala and decided to let her go, you were almost being friendly with her. Yoda and I are disturbed by that. You let her have control over you."

Allison had tears in her eyes now. "No, I didn't! And even if I did, Master, you should teach me not to do that again, instead of just giving up on me."

"You can stay here tonight," he said. "I will help you find another apartment tomorrow and help you move your things. After that, I will move to another planet, since Amidala has seen where this place is, and I will get a new comlink."

Allison threw the glass onto the floor. It didn't break. The rest of the water in it spilled out.

"You don't even care!" she said. "You aren't upset at all."

"I am, Allison. You're a very caring, intelligent woman, and you would have been a wonderful..."

"Then give me another chance!"

"I'm sorry," said Obi-wan.

Allison did not plead with him anymore. She went to her bedroom.

----------------

Sorry for the short chapter. I've been using ----- for seperators because the dividers in the document editor aren't working.


	40. Chapter Forty

**Author's note**: I usually don't ask, but is anyone reading this or Next To You? I know that people don't always leave reviews even though they're reading, so I wanted to ask. If no one is reading this or Next To You right now, I'm going to put them on hiatus for a couple of weeks while I finish one of my other two current stories. I hope this didn't sound rude. Thanks. 

**Chapter Forty**

"Vader is going to be mad," Shmi said as she walked into the garage. She looked at the droid that Cliegg was working on, on one of the tables against the wall.

Cliegg picked up a screwdriver. "No, he won't. This isn't C-3PO. It just looks like him."

"Could you at least take him back and get one that's a different color?"

"I only got this one for free because of the scratches, and the eyes need to be fixed," Cliegg replied.

Shmi briefly thought of the counter in Anakin's bedroom where he had worked on Threepio.

"Did you ask Vader if we could get a droid?" she asked.

"I didn't think I needed his permission just to get one to help around the house." Cliegg looked at his wife. "If you want, I'll tell him about it, and I'll take it back if he wants me to."

"Thank you," said Shmi.

-----

Last night, Obi-wan had told Allison that she should probably give him her lightsaber. If anyone ever saw her using it and knew about Jedi, it might attract attention. She gave it to him without arguing, since she did not want it to remind her of him.

He also told her that he and Yoda would pretend that they didn't know her. He hated saying that, and he hated kicking her out of the Jedi group. But it was probably best, after she let Darth Amidala go and was almost friendly with the Sith Lady. Yoda had said that it was probably best to end Allison's apprenticeship now, after only eighteen months, instead of allowing her to stay and get into more trouble later on.

This morning, when Obi-wan got up, Allison was gone.

All of her things were still in her room, including her clothes in the closet, and her comlink was sitting on the desk.

She had most likely left the planet, or maybe she went to the city where her parents lived, which was almost a hundred miles away. He hoped that she was alright, but he was not going to look for her. She was angry and did not want his help.

He sighed and went to his room to start packing his own things. Ryan and Rich would be here later to take him to a house on Yavin Three that they had gotten for him.

-----

That evening, Vader and Amidala went to a restaurant that had just opened. Vader had decided that they could go home tomorrow. He doubted that Allison was still waiting around here to follow them to their house, and if she was, they would deal with her when they saw her.

"The baby just kicked me," Amidala said. Whenever she and Vader were out, they talked as if there were only one baby.

"How do you feel?" he asked, looking at her. She was very beautiful in the long-sleeved, black maternity dress she had bought earlier, and she was wearing the gold bantha pin that he had given her.

"Alright," she answered.

Then, suddenly, Vader sensed that she was startled. She was looking at something behind him. He turned and saw Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie entering the dining area.

"Padmé!" Jobal said as she came over to their table. "Where have you been?"

"Excuse me?" Amidala asked. She was sitting close to the table, so her parents probably couldn't see that she was pregnant.

"Who are you?" Ruwee asked Vader. "Wait...are you the man that Sabé saw Padmé with one day?"

Jobal looked at their son-in-law, too. "Did you do this? Did you kidnap her?"

"I have no idea who you are," said Amidala.

Vader said nothing and watched. He was pleased with the way his apprentice was handling this, although if the Naberries showed up later and bothered them again, he would deal with them.

Just then, a waiter approached, a young human man with red hair.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"No," Amidala said. "These people are bothering me and my husband. We don't know who they are."

"Padmé, don't be scared," Ruwee said softly, not wanting to make a scene. "You can come with us now."

Amidala looked at the waiter. "Is this going to happen every time we come here? Do you just let creeps wander in and harrass your customers?"

"Of course not, ma'am," he replied. He looked at Ruwee and Jobal. "I must ask you to leave."

"But..." Jobal started.

"You have five seconds before I call the security guards."

Ruwee took his wife's arm. "Come on, dear. We'll talk about this at home."

She let out a sad sigh, and they left.


	41. Chapter FortyOne

**Author's note**: For anyone of you who were reading Angel 2, I've started a second rewrite of Angel for now, because there were still some things I didn't like about the first rewrite. But for some reason, the link to it is not showing up on my profile right now. 

**Chapter Forty-One**

Obi-wan saw Allison almost six months later, in a park on Naboo, with Darth Vader and Darth Amidala.

Her hair was still a little past her shoulders, but not black anymore. She had dyed it dark brown. She appeared to be a few months pregnant. A Falleen man was standing next to her, with his arm inside hers.

Amidala had cut her hair. It was about the same length as Allison's. She was wearing a long black skirt and a sleeveless white shirt. She wasn't pregnant anymore, but the twins were nowhere around.

"Hey!" Allison said to Obi-wan.

He turned and left. There was a transport station not far away. He would take the next ship that was leaving.

-----

"Are we going to follow him?" Amidala asked.

"No," Vader told her. Even though the babies were on the ship, with Shmi and Cliegg, he still did not like to leave them alone for long.

"Aren't you worried that he is here?" Darren asked.

He was one of Vader and Amidala's spies, and had led Allison to them one day, a week after she left her and Obi-wan's old apartment. After she agreed to join the two Sith, Darren showed her around the _Executor_ and a few of the bases. They soon fell for each other, and got married after three weeks. Darren was not Force-strong, but he was an excellent pilot and spy.

"No," said Allison. "The Lake Country is on the other side of the planet. He probably doesn't know where we live."

"We will see you tomorrow," Amidala told them. They lived half-an-hour away from her and Vader.

"Alright," Darren said.

-----

That evening, Amidala sat in the armchair in the twins' room, holding Luke. Leia was already asleep in her crib, which was right beside her brother's.

"I love you, Master," Amidala said to Vader as he entered the room.

"I love you, too," he replied. He went over to Leia's crib and reached down to touch her chin. He was as protective of her and Luke as he was of his wife-apprentice.

He had decided that he wanted their training to start when they were twelve, since Amidala still had much to learn from him. She had mastered most of what he had taught her, but every apprentice needed several more years to get experience in different situations.

Amidala stood and came over to the cribs. After setting Luke down in his, she looked at the panel on the wall, by the door, and mentally pushed the button to turn the lights off.

Vader slid his arm around her, and they left the room.

- The End -

Thanks to everyone who read this and left reviews.

For anyone of you who were reading Angel 2, I've started a second rewrite of Angel for now, because there were still some things I didn't like about the first rewrite. But for some reason, the link to it is not showing up on my profile right now.


End file.
